Build an Instagram App Clone using React Native and Expo with modern social media UI, stories, posts, likes, comments, profiles and responsive mobile screens. Learn how to set up and run the project with Expo.

Build a modern Instagram-inspired social media mobile application using React Native and Expo.

This project recreates popular social media interface patterns such as a home feed, stories, posts, profile screens, navigation and interactive social-media components.

It is a useful project for developers who want to learn how to build an Instagram-style mobile application with React Native while using Expo for faster development and testing.

Note: This is an independent educational project inspired by common social-media UI patterns. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram or Meta.

Project Features

📱 Instagram-Style Home Feed

A modern social media feed where users can browse posts in a familiar Instagram-inspired layout.

🟣 Stories UI

Horizontal stories section at the top of the feed with profile images and story indicators.

❤️ Post Interactions

Interactive UI elements for common social-media actions such as:

Like
Comment
Share
Save

👤 User Profile

Profile screen containing:

Profile image
Username
Bio
Followers
Following
Posts
Photo grid

🖼️ Post UI

Instagram-inspired post layout with:

User information
Post image
Like button
Comment button
Share button
Save button
Caption
Engagement information

🧭 Bottom Navigation

Mobile-friendly navigation for accessing different sections of the application.

📱 Responsive Mobile UI

The interface is designed for different mobile screen sizes.

🧩 Reusable Components

The application uses reusable React Native components to make the project easier to maintain and customize.

Technologies Used

React Native
Expo
JavaScript
React
React Navigation
Expo Go
npm

How to Set Up Instagram Clone with Expo

Requirements

Before running the project, install:

Node.js
npm
Visual Studio Code
Expo Go
Git (optional)

Check your Node.js installation:

node -v

Check npm:

npm -v

Step 1 – Download the Project

Download the Instagram Clone project from SkillHost and extract the ZIP file.

Open the extracted project folder in Visual Studio Code.

Step 2 – Open the Terminal

Open the terminal inside the project directory:

cd instagram-clone

Replace instagram-clone with your actual project folder name if it is different.

Step 3 – Install Dependencies

Run:

npm install

This installs all dependencies required by the React Native Expo project.

Step 4 – Start Expo

Start the Expo development server:

npx expo start

Expo will open the development dashboard and provide a QR code.

Step 5 – Run on Your Mobile

Install Expo Go on your Android or iOS device.

Connect your phone and computer to the same Wi-Fi network.

Scan the QR code displayed by Expo.

The Instagram-style application should then open on your mobile device.

Run on Android Emulator

If Android Studio and an Android emulator are configured on your computer:

npx expo start

Then press:

Expo will launch the application on the Android emulator.

Run on iOS Simulator

If you are using macOS with Xcode installed:

npx expo start

Then press:

The project will launch in the iOS simulator.

Clear Expo Cache

If you encounter unexpected caching or bundling issues, try:

npx expo start -c

This clears the Metro/Expo cache and starts the development server again.

What You Can Learn From This Project

This project can help developers understand how to build a social-media-style application using React Native.

You can learn:

React Native component development
Mobile UI design
React Native navigation
Reusable components
Lists and feed layouts
Image-based UI
Social media interactions
Profile layouts
Mobile responsive design
Expo development workflow

Checkoiut the below more intersting projects.

https://skillhost.in/projects/amazon-shopping-app-react-native/

https://skillhost.in/projects/myntra-shopping-app-ui-react-native/

Instagram App Clone in React Native

See It in Action