Bundle a Realm File - React Native SDK
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Realm supports bundling realm files. When you bundle a realm file, you include a database and all of its data in your application download.
This allows users to start applications for the first time with a set of initial data. For synced realms, bundling can avoid a lengthy initial download the first time a user opens your application. Instead, users must only download the synced changes that occurred since you generated the bundled file.
Warning
Does Not Apply to Expo Apps
This procedure doesn't work for React Native apps created with Expo.
Procedure
Follow these steps to create and bundle a realm file for your React Native application. On a high level you:
Create a bundled realm file in a Node.js script.
Copy the bundled realm to the iOS and/or Android builds for your application.
Call
Realm.copyBundledRealmFiles()
before you open the bundled Realm in your React Native JavaScript code.
Note
Bundle Synchronized Realms
SDK version 10.12.0 introduced the ability to bundle synchronized realms. Before version 10.12.0, you could only bundle local realms.
For details on considerations and limitations when bundling a synchronized realm, see the Bundle a Synchronized Realm section.
Create a Realm File to Bundle
The easiest way to create a bundled realm for your React Native app is to write a separate Node.Js script to create the bundle.
Build a temporary realm app that shares the data model of your application.
Open a realm and add the data you wish to bundle. If using a synchronized realm, allow time for the realm to fully sync.
create-bundled-realm.js// open realm const config = { schema: [Dog], path: "bundle.realm", }; const realm = await Realm.open(config); // add data to realm realm.write(() => { realm.create("Dog", { name: "Jasper", age: 10, type: "Golden Retriever" }); realm.create("Dog", { name: "Maggie", age: 12, type: "Collie" }); realm.create("Dog", { name: "Sophie", age: 6, type: "German Shepard" }); }); realm.close(); Note the filepath of the bundled realm file. You'll need this file to use the bundled realm in your production application, as described in the next section.
temp_realm_app. ├── bundle.realm ... rest of files in _temp_ application
Open the Bundled Realm in your App
The realm is now bundled and will be included when a user downloads the app. To add the bundled realm file to your app's document directory, call Realm.copyBundledRealmFiles() before you open the realm.
Realm.copyBundledRealmFiles()
adds all *.realm
files from the application
bundle to the application documents directory. This method doesn't override
any existing files with the same name, so it's safe to call every time the
app starts.
Open the bundled realm with the same name and configuration that you specified when you initially created the bundled realm.
Now that you have a copy of the realm included with your production application, you need to add code to use it.
Realm.copyBundledRealmFiles(); realm = await Realm.open({ schema: [Dog], path: 'bundle.realm', });
Bundle a Synchronized Realm
Generally, bundling a synchronized realm works the same as bundling a local-only realm. However, there are some limitations to bundling realms that use Device Sync.
You can only bundle fully synchronized realms. Make sure that the realm has fully synchronized with the server before bundling:
const config = { sync: { user: app.currentUser, partitionValue: app.currentUser.id, }, schema: [Car], }; const realm = await Realm.open(config); // create many changes realm.write(() => { for (let i = 0; i < 25; i++) { realm.create("Car", { make: "Toyota", model: "Prius", miles: i, owner: app.currentUser.id, }); } }); // ensure synchronize all changes before copy await realm.syncSession.uploadAllLocalChanges(); await realm.syncSession.downloadAllServerChanges(); // changes are synchronized -- we can copy the realm realm.writeCopyTo(__dirname + "syncedCopy.realm"); When opening a bundled synchronized realm, you must use the same partition key that was used in the original realm. If you use a different partition key, the SDK throws an error when opening the bundled realm.
Warning
Synchronized Realm Bundling and Client Maximum Offline Time
If your application has enabled advanced backend compaction by configuring a client maximum offline time, users could experience a client reset the first time they open the bundled realm file. This can happen if:
the bundled realm file was generated more than client maximum offline time days before the user syncs the realm for the first time.
Users experiencing a client reset download the full state of the realm from the application backend. This negates the advantages of bundling a realm file. To prevent client resets and preserve the advantages of realm file bundling:
Avoid using a client maximum offline time in applications that bundle a synchronized realm.
If your application does use a client maximum offline time, ensure that your application download always includes a recently synchronized realm file. Generate a new file each application version, and ensure that no version ever stays current for more than client maximum offline time number of days.