Awesome
[!WARNING] Visual Studio App Center is scheduled for retirement on March 31, 2025.
reactnative-fastlane-appcenter
🚀 Simple fastlane guide for signing, building and uploading new React Native apps to Visual Studio App Center.
Getting Started
Install fastlane if you do not already have it:
# Install the latest Xcode command line tools
xcode-select --install
# Install fastlane using RubyGems
sudo gem install fastlane -NV
# Alternatively using Homebrew
brew install fastlane
Create a react-native project:
react-native init YourAppName
At the root of your react-native project: Setup fastlane:
cd YourAppName && mkdir fastlane && cd fastlane && touch Fastfile
Install the App Center plugin from the root of the project:
cd .. && fastlane add_plugin appcenter
iOS
Signing
For new projects, we need to create a bundle ID and provisioning profile.
To create a new bundle ID, run:
fastlane produce create -i
To setup provisioning profile, create a private GIT repo and then run:
fastlane match init
Use git and provide the private git repo URL.
A Matchfile will be created. Open it and change the profile type (e.g. appstore, adhoc) and add your Apple developer account under username
.
Now, add the following to the Fastfile:
platform :ios do
desc 'Fetch certificates and provisioning profiles'
lane :certificates do
match(app_identifier: 'com.app.bundle')
end
end
Change com.app.bundle
to the bundle ID you created earlier.
In the future, pass readonly: true
to the match
action. This would ensure the command wouldn't create new provisioning profiles.
Building
If this is a new project: Open the project in Xcode. Correct the bundle ID. Select a development team. Exit.
Add the following lane to iOS:
desc 'Fetch certificates. Build the iOS application.'
lane :build do
certificates
gym(
scheme: "YourAppName",
workspace: './ios/YourAppName.xcworkspace',
# project: './ios/YourAppName.xcodeproj', # Use this command if you don't have an iOS .xcworkspace file.
export_method: 'development'
)
end
Change the app name to yours.
Generated .ipa
will be at the project root ./YourAppName.ipa
Uploading
Add the following to the iOS lane:
desc 'Fetch certificates, build and upload to App Center.'
lane :beta do
build
appcenter_upload(
api_token: ENV["TEST_APPCENTER_API_TOKEN"],
owner_name: ENV["TEST_APPCENTER_OWNER_NAME"],
app_name: ENV["APPCENTER_APP_NAME"],
ipa: ENV["APPCENTER_DISTRIBUTE_IPA"]
)
end
Specify the .ipa path. Following this guide it would be ipa: "./YourAppName.ipa"
Run fastlane ios beta
. You're now on App Center! 👏
For environment variables, see below.
Android
Signing
Navigate to JDK binary. Find the binary with:
/usr/libexec/java_home
Generate keystore. Rename the key and alias.
sudo keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore -alias my-key-alias -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
Move the key to your android/app
directory.
sudo mv my-release-key.keystore [...path to YourAppName/android/app]
Create gradle variables by adding the following to android/gradle.properties
:
MYAPP_RELEASE_STORE_FILE=my-release-key.keystore
MYAPP_RELEASE_KEY_ALIAS=my-key-alias
MYAPP_RELEASE_STORE_PASSWORD=*****
MYAPP_RELEASE_KEY_PASSWORD=*****
You can change the names.
See this issue for comments about key/credentials security.
Edit android/app/build.gradle
and add the signing config and build variant:
...
android {
...
defaultConfig { ... }
signingConfigs {
release {
if (project.hasProperty('MYAPP_RELEASE_STORE_FILE')) {
storeFile file(MYAPP_RELEASE_STORE_FILE)
storePassword MYAPP_RELEASE_STORE_PASSWORD
keyAlias MYAPP_RELEASE_KEY_ALIAS
keyPassword MYAPP_RELEASE_KEY_PASSWORD
}
}
}
buildTypes {
release {
...
signingConfig signingConfigs.release
}
}
}
...
Change the variable names according to the previous step. Done.
Building
Add the following for Android:
platform :android do
desc 'Build the Android application.'
lane :build do
gradle(task: 'clean', project_dir: 'android/')
gradle(task: 'assemble', build_type: 'release', project_dir: 'android/')
end
end
The build type has to be consistent with the build variant in the previous step.
Generated .apk
will be at android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk
Uploading
Add the following to the Android lane:
desc 'Build and upload to App Center.'
lane :beta do
build
appcenter_upload(
api_token: ENV["TEST_APPCENTER_API_TOKEN"],
owner_name: ENV["TEST_APPCENTER_OWNER_NAME"],
app_name: ENV["APPCENTER_APP_NAME"],
apk: ENV["APPCENTER_DISTRIBUTE_APK"]
)
end
Specify the .apk path. Following this guide it would be apk: "./android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk"
Run fastlane android beta
. You're now on App Center! 👏
Optional
Add NPM Scripts
"scripts": {
"ios:beta": "fastlane ios beta",
"android:beta": "fastlane android beta"
}
Environment Variables
If you don't provide environment variables, you will be prompted to enter them when you run the commands. You must specify the apk/ipa file paths with respect to the root project directory and not with respect to the fastfile location. Else the commands will fail with some variant of:
[!] Couldn't find build file at path ''
Fastlane .env variables:
https://docs.fastlane.tools/advanced/other/#environment-variables
Issues/Suggestions
If you have suggestions or there are problems with this doc, please submit an issue!
Useful Links
App Center API Token:
https://appcenter.ms/settings/apitokens
Generating Signed Android APK:
https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/signed-apk-android.html
App Center fastlane Plugin
https://github.com/microsoft/fastlane-plugin-appcenter
Other fastlane Guides:
https://docs.fastlane.tools/getting-started/cross-platform/react-native/
A more advanced React Native Fastfile:
https://github.com/osamaq/react-native-template/blob/master/template/fastlane/Fastfile