Reco — react.cordova

One CLI that bundles React.js and Apache Cordova into a single project. Write a React app; ship it as a native Android, iOS or desktop build without maintaining two codebases or two toolchains.

        

Normally, putting React inside Cordova means two package.json files, a build step that copies build/ into www/, and a dev loop where the browser and the device behave differently. reco collapses that into one project directory with one package.json: npm start serves React and a Cordova simulation together, and npm run build runs the React build, the Cordova prepare and the native compile as a single command.

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Quick start

npm install -g react.cordova
reco init com.example.hello "hello world"
cd hello_world       # app name, lowercased, spaces replaced with underscores
npm start

Requirements: Node 16 or newer — verified on 16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 25. Cordova is also expected as a global install (npm install -g cordova); generated projects call both reco and cordova from their build scripts.

Upgrading from 2.5.4 or earlier? Those versions cannot run at all on a current Node: every command fails, either with Cannot find module 'node:path' or with a Function.prototype.apply error, depending on your version. 2.6.0 removes the abandoned module loader responsible for it. See the changelog.

reco init scaffolds the React app and the Cordova app and merges one into the other, then installs cordova_script and navigation-controller so the project boots with deviceready handling and native-feeling page navigation already wired up.

Prerequisites

npm	get npm
Cordova	npm install -g cordova
Java	Required for Android builds. JDK 8 recommended for older Cordova toolchains.
Xcode	Required for iOS builds (macOS only).

Project layout

reco projects are a single merged tree — React's src/ and public/ living alongside Cordova's platforms/, plugins/ and www/:

project folder
 |-- src            # your React app
 |-- public
 |-- platforms      # Cordova native projects
 |-- plugins        # Cordova plugins
 |-- www            # build output Cordova packages
 |-- hooks
 |-- package.json   # one manifest for both halves

Commands

Develop

npm start

Serves the React dev server and a Cordova browser simulation together, so plugin calls work in the browser during development.

Build

npm run build              # all configured platforms
npm run build browser
npm run build android      # produces an installable .apk
npm run build ios          # produces an .xcworkspace to compile in Xcode

Equivalent to running the React build, then cordova prepare, then cordova compile.

Cordova and React, unchanged

Both underlying CLIs keep working inside a reco project:

cordova platform add android
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-camera
npm install navigation-controller
npm test

CLI reference

reco help        # full command list
reco version

Learn more: Cordova getting started · React documentation

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Full documentation

https://ui-db.com/open-source/react.cordova

Legacy project layout (versions < 2.0.0)

Older projects kept the two halves in separate directories:

project folder
 |-- cordova
 |    |-- hooks / platforms / plugins / www / package.json
 |-- react-js
 |    |-- src / public / build / package.json

In that layout the reco prefix fronted both toolchains:

reco start
reco build <cordova platform>
reco platform <add|rm> <platform>
reco plugin <add|rm> <plugin>
reco install <npm package>
reco react <any react command>

<cordova platform> was optional. Current versions use the merged layout above and plain npm / cordova commands instead.

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Support

• Bugs and feature requests: GitHub issues
• The CLI entry point is bin/cli.js — pull requests welcome.
• Paid/private support: via Fiverr

If this CLI saves you time, you can support its maintenance: donate via PayPal.

License

MIT · Created by UIDB