Patch Updates - Differential Updates for React Native

Patch Updates is a revolutionary differential update feature that transforms how React Native OTA (over-the-air) updates are delivered. Instead of shipping full bundles like traditional Codepush alternatives, Patch Updates intelligently generates minimal patches containing only the changes between versions, resulting in update sizes that are up to 98% smaller than traditional full-bundle updates.

What Are Patch Updates?

Patch Updates are differential updates that ship only the changed files between versions, resulting in updates that are 90-98% smaller than full bundle downloads. Instead of downloading a 20 MB bundle for a tiny bug fix, users get a 400 KB patch that downloads in seconds.

This is a revolutionary feature for React Native OTA updates that CodePush and many other OTA solutions do not support.

Key Benefits

• Up to 98% Size Reduction: Updates that are 98% smaller than full bundles
• Faster Downloads: Updates complete in seconds instead of minutes
• Better User Experience: Users get updates instantly, even on slower connections
• File-Level Intelligence: Only changed files are included in patches
• Integrated Security: Every patch is cryptographically signed and verified

Quick Start

Patch Updates works automatically with your existing React Native Stallion workflow:

1. Upload your bundle as usual using the Stallion CLI
2. Promote the release through the Stallion Console
3. For releases published after Patch Updates was enabled, a patch is generated on demand and distributed to eligible users
4. Users on the previous version receive the patch update instead of the full bundle

After you enable Patch Updates under Project settings → Patch Settings, no code changes are required. Releases you publish from then on generate patches on demand when you promote.

Documentation Sections

Learn more about Patch Updates:

• Benefits of Patch Updates: Detailed overview of advantages
• How Patch Updates Works: Technical overview of patch generation
• Getting Started: Step-by-step guide to using Patch Updates

Example: Patch Updates vs Traditional OTA

Scenario: You have a 20 MB bundle and make a small change to a single component.

Traditional OTA Update (Codepush-style):

• Full 20 MB bundle download
• Download time: 30-60 seconds
• Bandwidth: 20 MB per user

With Patch Updates:

• Only changed component files included
• Patch size: ~400 KB (98% reduction)
• Download time: 1-2 seconds
• Bandwidth: 400 KB per user

For a million-user app, this translates to 19.6 TB of bandwidth savings (98% reduction).

Why Patch Updates is the Best Codepush Alternative

For teams migrating from Codepush or looking for the best React Native OTA solution, Patch Updates offers significant advantages:

• Superior Efficiency: Unlike Codepush which requires full bundle downloads, Patch Updates uses intelligent differential updates
• File-Level Intelligence: Advanced diff algorithms analyze changes at the file level
• Better Performance: Up to 98% size reduction means updates are instant
• Integrated Analytics: Built-in Console metrics show patch efficiency
• No app code changes: Enable Patch Updates once under Project settings → Patch Settings; releases published after that generate patches on demand when you promote

Get Started

Follow the Getting Started with Patch Updates guide for SDK requirements and the usual upload and promote workflow.