Building a BottomSheet from scratch in React Native
Thursday, January 30, 2025
BottomSheets are a very common UI pattern in mobile apps. They are used to display additional content or actions without disrupting the main view.
In this tutorial, we'll focus on creating a bottom sheet that not only looks great but also feels natural to interact with. We'll implement features like:
Smooth spring animations for natural movement
Pan gesture handling with proper context preservation
Dynamic border radius that changes based on position
External control methods for programmatic manipulation
The best part? We'll achieve all of this using just two powerful packages: React Native Reanimated and React Native Gesture Handler.
Here's what we'll be building 👇
YouTube Tutorial
Want to follow along with the video tutorial? Check it out here:
Setup
First, let's create a new React Native project with Expo and TypeScript:
Try clicking the white button to control the bottom sheet:
Adding the Backdrop
In this specific case, since there's basically nothing in the background, it doesn't really matter if there's a backdrop or not. However, in a real use case, adding a backdrop is always a good idea.
We've built a bottom sheet component that combines smooth animations with natural gesture interactions. The implementation uses React Native Reanimated's spring animations and Gesture Handler's pan handler to create a fluid user experience. The component is type-safe, maintainable, and easily extendable.
For real-world applications, consider enhancing the component with features like snap points, backdrop overlays, or dynamic content sizing based on your specific needs.
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