Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure your development environment meets these requirements.

Required

Tool	Version	Notes
Node.js	18+ (LTS recommended)	Used by Expo CLI and Metro bundler
npm	9+	Ships with Node.js
Git	Any recent version	To clone the repository

Verify installations:

node --version   # v18.x or higher
npm --version

Mobile testing

Choose at least one way to run the app:

Expo Go (fastest)

Install Expo Go on your physical iOS or Android device. Scan the QR code from npm start to load the app without a native build.

Physical devices must reach your backend over the network — use your computer's LAN IP, not localhost.

iOS Simulator (macOS only)

• Xcode with iOS Simulator
• Run with npm run ios or press i in the Expo dev server

Use http://localhost:8000 as the API host when the backend runs on the same Mac.

Android Emulator

• Android Studio with Android SDK and a virtual device
• Run with npm run android or press a in the Expo dev server

Use http://10.0.2.2:8000 to reach localhost on your host machine from the emulator.

Native development builds

For full native module access or custom native code, generate ios/ and android/ with npx expo prebuild and open the projects in Xcode or Android Studio. See Native builds.

Backend

You need a running API compatible with the bundled openapi.json. The recommended option is the companion MobiTrendz FastAPI Backend Template.

The mobile app calls routes under /api/v1 (e.g. /api/v1/login/access-token, /api/v1/todos).

Documentation site (optional)

To preview this Docusaurus site locally:

cd website
npm install
npm start