# A First Look at Reanimated 2

DevFeed: [A First Look at Reanimated 2](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-first-look-at-reanimated-2-1391.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://shopify.engineering/first-look-reanimated-2>)

Author: William Candillon

Published: 2020-07-02T18:46:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering.md>), [Shopify Engineering - Shopify Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shopify-engineering-shopify-engineering.md>)

Topics: [React Native](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/react-native.md>), [React UI animations](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/react-ui-animations.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [Open Source](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/open-source.md>), [Shopify](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/shopify.md>)

Tags: [animation](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/animation.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [react-native](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/react-native.md>), [shopify](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/shopify.md>)

## AI overview

The article introduces Reanimated 2, an alpha release that changes how gestures and animations are built in React Native. Its animation worklets run JavaScript functions in an isolated context and keep interaction processing on the UI thread, avoiding reliance on the JavaScript thread for every animation frame. The article contrasts this approach with Reanimated 1's declarative domain-specific language, which had a steep learning curve, instruction limitations, initialization-time performance costs, bridge crossings, and memoization-related bugs.

## Source excerpt

With Reanimated 2, the team at Software Mansion asked: "How would it look if there were no constraints when writing gestures and animations in React Native?" and started from there.