Expo Forge Starter

TypeScript-first Expo + Expo Router + Uniwind + HeroUI Native starter focused on speed, clarity, and good defaults. Ships with multi-theme support, an opinionated project structure, utility helpers, and ready-made screens.

Branches: The default branch is Expo Go-compatible. The main branch includes additional batteries — auth with Clerk(coming soon), backend with Convex(coming soon), and more.

Tech Stack

Category	Tool
Framework	Expo (SDK 55) + React Native 0.83
Routing	Expo Router (file-based, typed routes)
UI Components	HeroUI Native
Styling	Uniwind (Tailwind CSS v4) + Tailwind Variants
State	Zustand with persist middleware
Keyboard	react-native-keyboard-controller
Bottom Sheets	@gorhom/bottom-sheet
Fonts	Poppins + Inter via expo-font
Tabs	Native Tabs (expo-router/unstable-native-tabs) with web fallback
Storage	expo-sqlite/kv-store (native) / localStorage (web)

Features

• Multi-theme system — Base light/dark plus color themes (lavender, mint, sky) with light/dark variants each, all using OKLCH color tokens
• HeroUI Native components — Pre-configured provider with toast support and keyboard avoidance
• Native tab bar — Platform-native tabs on iOS/Android with SF Symbols and Material icons, web fallback
• Theme switching — useAppTheme() hook with setTheme() and toggleTheme() via Uniwind.setTheme()
• Unified storage — Single adapter for Zustand persistence across native and web
• Bottom sheets — @gorhom/bottom-sheet with blur backdrop support (expo-blur)
• cn() utility — Tailwind class merging via clsx + tailwind-merge
• Custom AppText — Drop-in text component with Poppins font family
• React Compiler — Enabled via reactCompiler: true experiment
• Typed routes — Full type safety for navigation

Project Structure

src/
  app/             Route pages & layouts (theme/ has its own Stack layout)
  components/      UI components (shared/, ui/, icons/, examples/)
  constants/       Theme colors, fonts, spacing, tab config
  context/         React contexts (AppThemeContext for multi-theme)
  providers/       Provider composition (RootProvider)
  hooks/           Custom hooks (color scheme, large header options)
  helpers/         Helper functions & hooks (accessibility, OTA updates, strings)
  lib/             Utilities (cn(), unified storage adapter)
  store/           Zustand store (auth, theme, profile, preferences)
  services/        API & integrations
  themes/          CSS theme files (lavender, mint, sky, alpha)
  interfaces/      TypeScript interfaces by domain
  types/           Type definitions
  global.css       Tailwind/Uniwind/HeroUI Native theme config

Get Started

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/s-kvng/expo-forge-starter.git
   cd expo-forge-starter

2. Install dependencies

   bun install   # or: npm install / yarn / pnpm

3. Start the dev server

   bun expo start

   From there you can open the app in:

   • Expo Go (default branch)
   • iOS Simulator
   • Android Emulator
   • Development build

4. Start editing — Routes live in src/app/. The project uses file-based routing.

Scripts

Command	Description
bun expo start	Start the dev server
bun expo start --ios	Start on iOS simulator
bun expo start --android	Start on Android emulator
bun expo start --web	Start on web
bun expo lint	Run ESLint
bun run reset-project	Reset to a blank project

Learn More

• Expo docs — Fundamentals and advanced guides
• Expo Router docs — File-based routing
• HeroUI Native docs — React Native component library
• Uniwind docs — Tailwind CSS v4 for React Native
• Zustand docs — Lightweight state management
• Learn Expo tutorial — Step-by-step walkthrough

Community

• Expo on GitHub
• Expo Discord

Inspired By ❤️

This starter was built on the shoulders of:

• HeroUI Native Example — Reference app for HeroUI Native components and theming patterns
• Sonny's Expo Starter — Project structure and developer experience inspiration
• Expo Default Template — The official Expo template that serves as the foundation