Learn how to build mobile apps to interact with NFC tags

Course Overview

What is NFC? An Introduction to NFC Tags, Cards, and Readers

Introduction

Tag Counter Game App

Set up a React Native NFC iOS and Android App

An Introduction to the React Native NFC Module Library

How to Build an iOS NFC Tag Scanner App With React Native

How to Build an Android NFC Tag Scanner App With React Native

App1 Conclusion

Tag-Counter Game App

Tap-And-Go App

How to Code an NDEF Message With the NFC Tools App

A Deep Dive Into NDEF and NdefRecord to Share Data via NFC

Tap-And-Go Project Setup With React Native and NFC Manager

How to Read NFC Tags and Write NDEF Data With NfcManager

How to Build a Website NFC Tag And Use Deep Linking With NFC

App2 Conclusion

Tap-And-Go  App

NFC Pokemon App

The User Flow of an NFC Tag Reader and Writer App

Intro to Type 2 NFC Tags: Read and Write NFC Tags With React

How to Sign and Verify NFC Data With React Native and elliptic

How to Add Memory Protection to NFC Tags For Copy Protection

App3 Conclusion

NfcPokemon  App

react

react-native

react-native-elements

react-native-nfc-manager

react-native-paper

## What we will cover in this course

First, I will provide an overview of NFC technology, so you can understand basic concepts and terms. After that, we will build three apps throughout this course.

### App 1: Tag Counter

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/10307875/148626752-38646752-bb16-4db2-8324-9fc19efdef04.png)

App 1 is a game app to count how much time a user needs to scan five NFC tags. You will learn:
- how to properly set up an NFC project 
- how to trigger NFC scanning
- the difference from iOS and Android regarding NFC feature

### App 2: Tap-and-Go

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/10307875/148627270-2dc43df8-8d5c-479d-8dd6-041b236d7009.png)

App 2 is about NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), which is the standard NFC data format supported by both iOS and Android. NDEF can be used for almost any NFC tag. We will build an NDEF reader-writer app, and you will learn:
- how to write specific NDEF URI into NFC tags 
- how to read NDEF URI and trigger corresponding actions, for example, opening an URL, making a phone call, or sending a message. 
- how to use deep linking with NFC tags.

### App 3: NFC Pokemon

![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/10307875/148627203-562e742d-973e-406c-8e9e-a871ccdaf6d9.png)

App 3 dives into low-level NFC programming, which directly manipulates the NFC tag’s internal memory and uses proprietary NFC commands. 
The app we'll build is called "NFC Pokemon," which is a digital identity management platform. It can seal a specific Pokemon, for example, a Pikachu, into an NFC tag. 

When building this app, you will learn:
- how to use low-leve tag command to directly manipulate NFC tag's internal memory
- how to create digital signatures in React Native
- how to use proprietary password protection command for NXP NTAG 213 / 215

NFC technology is everywhere in our daily life, from transportation, access control, to payment system. However, understanding NFC is still a hard topic because of its wide technology landspace. 

So in this course, We will guide you from the simplest case like using common NDEF format, all the way to a complex digital identity management app which leverages some unique NFC features.

The newline Guide to NFCs with React Native

How to integrate NFC feature into your React Native app

How to handle the differences between Android and iOS regarding NFC feature

Understand NDEF and use it across iOS and Android

Understand low-level NFC programming and communicate with NFC tags directly

How to use asymmetric cryptography library with React Native

How to use password protection commands from NTAG 21x NFC tags

Let's first head to the terminal to start a new React Native skeleton project:

Before we go any further, I'd like to explain some basic concepts here.

In the React Native world, there are actually two approaches to start a new project: one is through 

When should you use one or the other? What are the differences between them? To find out, let's see the explanation on React Native's 

From the official docs, it seems that the differences between them are whether you're 

, but there is another difference much more important: 

whether your app depends on a third party library with native code in it

In React Native, there are two kinds of libraries. The first one is implemented purely in JavaScript. For example: 

 is a well-known UI library, which provides lots of useful UI components. Since it is a pure UI library, it probably requires no special platform features. So it might be implemented in pure JavaScript.

Well, most of the time, but that's not always true.
Most React Native UI libraries use built-in components to compose their own components, but there are some that still contain custom native code, especially for wrapping native UI components.

---
title: Set up a React Native NFC iOS and Android App
isPublicLesson: true
privateVideoUrl: https://fullstack.wistia.com/medias/881bdwtzst
useMdx: true
---

## Create project skeleton

> Pre-step: finish the [environment setup for react-native-cli](https://reactnative.dev/docs/environment-setup).

Let's first head to the terminal to start a new React Native skeleton project:

```bash
npx react-native init TagCounterGame
```

Before we go any further, I'd like to explain some basic concepts here.

In the React Native world, there are actually two approaches to start a new project: one is through `expo-cli`, and another is through `react-native-cli`.

When should you use one or the other? What are the differences between them? To find out, let's see the explanation on React Native's [official site](https://reactnative.dev/docs/environment-setup).

![react-native-doc](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/newline-guide-to-nfcs-with-react-native/module_01/lesson_01.02/public/assets/react-native-doc.png)

It says:

-   If you are new to mobile development, the easiest way to get started is with Expo CLI
-   If you are already familiar with mobile development, you may want to use React Native CLI

From the official docs, it seems that the differences between them are whether you're `new` or `already familiar with mobile development`, but there is another difference much more important: `whether your app depends on a third party library with native code in it`.

What does this mean?

In React Native, there are two kinds of libraries. The first one is implemented purely in JavaScript. For example: [react-native-elements](https://github.com/react-native-elements/react-native-elements).

`react-native-elements` is a well-known UI library, which provides lots of useful UI components. Since it is a pure UI library, it probably requires no special platform features. So it might be implemented in pure JavaScript.

> Well, most of the time, but that's not always true.
> Most React Native UI libraries use built-in components to compose their own components, but there are some that still contain custom native code, especially for wrapping native UI components.

We can see this from the `Languages` area of the GitHub page:

![react-native-element](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/newline-guide-to-nfcs-with-react-native/module_01/lesson_01.02/public/assets/react-native-element.png)

This project is `96.9%` JavaScript and `3.1%` CSS.

On the other hand, let's see the `react-native-nfc-manager` in [GitHub](https://github.com/whitedogg13/react-native-nfc-manager)

Let's check the `Language` section again:

![react-native-nfc-manager](https://d2uusema5elisf.cloudfront.net/courses/newline-guide-to-nfcs-with-react-native/module_01/lesson_01.02/public/assets/react-native-nfc-manager.png)