Why Realm database in React Native? - Purpose & Use Cases

The Big Idea

What if your app's data could organize itself and never slow you down?

The Scenario

Imagine building a mobile app that stores user notes, contacts, or settings. You try to save this data using plain files or simple arrays. As your app grows, managing and retrieving this data becomes messy and slow.

The Problem

Using manual storage methods means you write lots of code to save, update, and fetch data. It's easy to make mistakes, lose data, or cause your app to freeze while loading. Handling complex data relationships is even harder and error-prone.

The Solution

Realm database is like a smart organizer for your app's data. It stores information efficiently, lets you query it easily, and keeps your app fast and smooth. It handles complex data and syncing without extra hassle.

Before vs After

✗ Before

const notes = [];
// Manually save and load notes from AsyncStorage
await AsyncStorage.setItem('notes', JSON.stringify(notes));
const savedNotes = JSON.parse(await AsyncStorage.getItem('notes'));

✓ After

import Realm from 'realm';

const NoteSchema = {
  name: 'Note',
  properties: {
    id: 'int',
    text: 'string'
  },
  primaryKey: 'id'
};

async function runRealm() {
  const realm = await Realm.open({schema: [NoteSchema]});
  realm.write(() => {
    realm.create('Note', {id: 1, text: 'Hello'});
  });
  const notes = realm.objects('Note');
  return notes;
}

What It Enables

With Realm, you can build apps that handle complex data easily, keep data synced, and run smoothly even with lots of information.

Real Life Example

Think of a chat app that saves messages, contacts, and settings locally. Realm helps keep all this data organized and instantly available, even offline.

Key Takeaways

Manual data storage is slow and error-prone for complex apps.

Realm database simplifies storing, querying, and syncing data.

It helps build fast, reliable apps that handle lots of data smoothly.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of using Realm database in a React Native app?

easy

A. To handle app navigation between screens

B. To store data locally on the device for fast access

C. To style the app's user interface

D. To connect the app to a remote SQL server

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Realm's role

   Realm is a local database designed to store data on the device itself.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options A, B, and C describe unrelated functions like navigation, remote servers, and UI styling, which Realm does not handle.

3. Final Answer:

   To store data locally on the device for fast access -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Realm = local data storage [OK]

Hint: Realm is for local data, not UI or navigation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Realm with remote databases
• Thinking Realm manages UI or navigation
• Assuming Realm is a cloud service

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a Realm schema for a Task object with a string name and a boolean completed property?

easy

A. const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: 'string', completed: 'bool'}};

B. const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: 'string', completed: 'boolean'}};

C. const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: 'String', completed: 'Bool'}};

D. const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: String, completed: Boolean}};

Solution

1. Step 1: Check Realm property types

   Realm expects property types as lowercase strings like 'string' and 'bool'.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: 'string', completed: 'bool'}}; uses correct lowercase strings. Options A, C, and D use incorrect types or JavaScript types instead of strings.

3. Final Answer:

   const TaskSchema = {name: 'Task', properties: {name: 'string', completed: 'bool'}}; -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Property types are lowercase strings [OK]

Hint: Use lowercase strings for property types in schema [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using JavaScript types instead of strings
• Capitalizing type names incorrectly
• Omitting the 'properties' key

3. Given the following code snippet, what will be the output of console.log(tasks.length);?

const realm = await Realm.open({schema: [TaskSchema]});
realm.write(() => {
  realm.create('Task', {name: 'Buy milk', completed: false});
  realm.create('Task', {name: 'Walk dog', completed: true});
});
const tasks = realm.objects('Task');
console.log(tasks.length);

medium

A. 0

B. 1

C. 2

D. Undefined

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze write transaction

   Two Task objects are created inside the write block, so two entries are added.

2. Step 2: Check objects query

   realm.objects('Task') returns all Task objects, so length should be 2.

3. Final Answer:

   2 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Created 2 tasks, length = 2 [OK]

Hint: Count created objects inside write block [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to use write block for create
• Assuming objects() returns empty before commit
• Confusing length with undefined

4. What is wrong with this Realm write transaction code? (Assume the TaskSchema defines name as the primary key)

realm.write(() => {
  realm.create('Task', {name: 'Read book', completed: false});
});
realm.write(() => {
  realm.create('Task', {name: 'Read book', completed: true});
});

medium

A. The second create will throw an error because a Task with the same primary key already exists

B. You cannot call realm.write() more than once

C. The second create will update the existing object automatically

D. There is no error; this code works fine

Solution

1. Step 1: Check schema requirements

   With name as primary key, creating an object with the same primary key without update flag causes error.

2. Step 2: Analyze code behavior

   The first create succeeds. The second create uses the same name (primary key) without update flag, so it throws an error.

3. Final Answer:

   The second create will throw an error because a Task with the same primary key already exists -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Duplicate primary key without update flag causes error [OK]

Hint: Use primary key and update flag to avoid create errors [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming multiple writes are forbidden
• Thinking create auto-updates without flags
• Ignoring primary key requirements

5. You want to update the completed status of a Task object named 'Laundry' to true. (Assume the Task schema defines name as the primary key) Which code snippet correctly performs this update in Realm?

hard

A. realm.write(() => { realm.objects('Task').filtered('name == "Laundry"').completed = true; });

B. realm.write(() => { realm.create('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}); });

C. realm.write(() => { realm.update('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}); });

D. realm.write(() => { realm.create('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}, true); });

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand update with create

   Realm updates existing objects if you pass true as the third argument to create.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   realm.write(() => { realm.create('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}, true); }); uses true flag correctly. realm.write(() => { realm.create('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}); }); tries to create without update flag, causing error. realm.write(() => { realm.objects('Task').filtered('name == "Laundry"').completed = true; }); tries to assign directly to filtered results, which is invalid. realm.write(() => { realm.update('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}); }); uses a non-existent update method.

3. Final Answer:

   realm.write(() => { realm.create('Task', {name: 'Laundry', completed: true}, true); }); -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use create with true flag to update [OK]

Hint: Use true flag in create to update existing objects [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting the update flag for updates
• Trying to assign directly to query results
• Using non-existent Realm methods