0005. One Expo code base, built for the web first

• Status: accepted
• Date: 2026-10-21

Context

The game started as an Expo SDK 57 project (React Native 0.86, react-native-web 0.21, TypeScript 6). The web build is the only target that is hosted (fiveguesses.app). The forces: the existing code works and exports to one static bundle, React Native’s accessibility props map to ARIA on the web, a native build stays possible later, and a rewrite would spend the time that the missing features (tests, accessibility, offline shell, theme) need.

Considered options

1. Keep Expo with react-native-web and treat the web as the one tested and released target.
2. Rewrite the UI as a plain React web app and drop React Native.
3. Keep Expo and also test and release the iOS and Android builds.

Decision

Option 1. scripts/build-web.mjs runs the Expo web export into web-build/, copies the font next to the bundle and finishes the service worker; npm run check type-checks, runs Jest and builds; Playwright tests the built site. The native configuration stays in app.json but is neither tested nor claimed anywhere. The Sora font is applied on the web through a CSS @font-face rule (no expo-font); loading it in a native build is future work.

Consequences

• Good: one code base, one bundle, and the accessibility work (role, aria-*) is written once.
• Good: the release carries a ready-to-serve site, and a web server needs nothing but static files.
• Bad: react-native-web adds weight to the bundle and a few web-only props need a type augmentation (src/types/react-native-web.ts); both are contained and measured in the README “Results”.