September 3, 2025

Announcing gluestack UI v3: The Universal React & React Native Component Library

Paridhi TulsianDigital Marketing Lead

After months of development, feedback, and testing, we’re thrilled to launch gluestack UI v3 — the next major evolution of our React Native and React component library (formerly NativeBase).This release is packed with performance improvements, accessibility upgrades, and a refined developer experience. It also introduces a brand-new Source-to-Destination architecture for contributors, ensuring gluestack remains easy to maintain and extend.Whether you’re an existing gluestack ui user, a React/React Native developer exploring new tools, or an engineering leader evaluating cross-platform UI frameworks, gluestack v3 empowers you to build faster, with more control, and without vendor lock-in.

What's New in gluestack v3

1. Blazing-Fast Performance and Leaner Build

Performance was one of the biggest goals of gluestack v3:
  • Reduced default CSS/JS footprint
  • Faster initial render times
  • Support for Next.js Turbopack → smaller production bundles & lightning-fast rebuilds
  • Continued support for React Server Components (RSC) These optimizations mean apps built with gluestack v3 load faster, hydrate quicker, and stay lightweight.

2. New Source-to-Destination Architecture (for Contributors)

One of the most significant changes in v3 is behind the scenes. The Source-to-Destination architecture is designed to make life easier for contributors and maintainers:
  • All components are maintained in a single
    src/
    directory.
  • A single command automatically syncs them to starter kits, docs, and examples.
  • Contributors now have a single source of truth, making pull requests, bug fixes, and documentation updates more reliable.
For everyday developers using gluestack v3, nothing changes. You still copy, paste, and own your components. The contributor-focused architecture simply ensures gluestack can scale with community contributions while keeping your workflow simple.

3. Universal Compatibility

gluestack v3 is fully aligned with modern React and React Native tooling:
  • Next.js 15 + React Server Components
  • Expo SDK 53 + React Native CLI
  • Monorepo compatibility out of the box
It’s a future-ready UI toolkit designed for web and mobile.

4. Improved Developer Experience

Developer workflows are now faster and easier:
  • TypeScript-first tooling with strong types and full definitions
  • New CLI commands for initialization, upgrading, and file synchronization
  • Hot reloading for instant feedback
  • Cleaner docs, faster navigation, and better search
# Upgrade existing projects:
npx gluestack-ui upgrade

5. Theming and Customization

gluestack v3 continues to make your design system first-class:
  • Updated default theme for better contrast and modern visuals
  • Dynamic theming → light, dark, or fully custom
  • Tailwind (NativeWind v4.1) integration for consistent styling across platforms
  • Instant theme propagation with CSS variables (web) & context (native)
Your components, your code, your style — with zero vendor lock-in.

Accessibility by Default

Accessibility is non-negotiable in gluestack v3:
  • ARIA roles & WCAG compliance
  • Keyboard navigation support
  • Screen reader optimizations
  • Accessible defaults across form controls, menus, modals, and more

Expanded Component Library

How to migrate from gluestack ui v2?

Upgrading from v2 to v3 is designed to be painless:
  • APIs remain the same
  • Theming stays intact
  • Only import paths and configs change
30+ updated components, including:
  • Buttons, Inputs, Avatars
  • Complex patterns: Select, Toasts
  • New: Accordion, expanded IconButton variants
Thanks to modular architecture, you only include what you use — avoiding bundle bloat.
npx gluestack-ui@latest upgrade
This one command updates your components and configuration files (e.g. Tailwind, Next.js). For most apps, that’s all you’ll need.

Why gluestack v3 Matters

  • For Developers: Cross-platform components, copy–paste ownership, faster DX.
  • For Teams: Consistent theming, fewer silos between web & mobile engineers.
  • For Leaders: Reduced complexity, production-ready accessibility, long-term maintainability.
gluestack v3 is more than a UI library — it’s a future-proof universal UI toolkit.

Getting Started

New Projects

npx gluestack-ui@latest init
npx gluestack-ui@latest add --all
When we first built gluestack ui, the vision was simple: empower everyone to build faster. With gluestack v3, we’re taking that vision further: giving developers speed and ownership, while ensuring contributors can grow the ecosystem sustainably. Try gluestack v3 now: gluestack.io/ui/docs Support the launch on Product Hunt Together, we’re building the future of universal UI development.
React & React Native Components & Patterns
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