Automating mobile app deployment can save you time, reduce errors, and improve quality. In this article, you will learn some of the best ways to automate mobile app deployment for different platforms and scenarios.
Manual app deployment can be tedious, error-prone, and time-consuming. You have to deal with various tools, configurations, and dependencies for each platform and environment. You also have to test, debug, and update your app regularly. Automating app deployment can help you streamline these processes, ensure consistency, and speed up delivery. You can use scripts, tools, and services to automate app deployment and integrate it with your development workflow.
Why automate mobile app deployment? Because you don't want to manually - create a new app version for iOS and Android - upload the versions - create screenshots Instead, use one of the great tools out there that automate it. I prefer Github Actions with Fastlane. You write your scripts once and that's it. Create a new 'release' branch with your version and the workflow does all the other things for you.
Depending on your app's features, requirements, and target platforms, you may want to automate various aspects of app deployment. This can include building and signing your app, running tests and code analysis, generating and uploading app bundles and binaries, distributing your app to testers, users, and app stores, as well as updating and rolling back your app. Automating these tasks can save you time and effort in the long run.
How do you create a new version? - You need to compile and sign your app. - You need to upload it to the corresponding store. If you do crossplatform development, that's 2 stores at once. - You may need screenshots for the new feature - You need to release the app to testers. That's a lot. Maybe not for 1 release, but it adds up.
There are numerous tools and services available to help automate mobile app deployment. Fastlane is a cross-platform tool that automates the entire app deployment pipeline, from building to distribution. It allows you to create and run custom scripts, called lanes, that perform various tasks for your app. Additionally, it can integrate with other tools and services, such as Firebase, TestFlight, App Store Connect, and Google Play Console. GitHub Actions is a cloud-based service that enables you to create and run workflows, called actions, to automate app deployment and other tasks. You can also use it to trigger workflows based on events like push, pull request, or release. Another cloud-based service is Bitrise that offers a graphical interface and a collection of steps, called workflows, to automate app deployment and other tasks for iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native, and more. It can also integrate with Fastlane, Firebase, TestFlight, App Store Connect, and Google Play Console.
Automating app deployment can be beneficial at any stage of your development cycle, especially when you want to release your app frequently and reliably, deliver it to multiple platforms and environments, share it with testers and users easily and securely, and monitor and improve its performance and quality.
When deciding to automate app deployment, you should consider the complexity, size, and resources of your app. Cost-wise, local automation is free but you must maintain your own hardware and software. Remote automation may incur fees but you can leverage existing infrastructure and services. Cloud-based automation may offer free or paid plans and you can scale up or down as needed. In terms of speed, local automation is fast yet must be run manually or scheduled. Remote automation is faster but requires configuration and management. Cloud-based automation is the fastest but relies on the availability and performance of the service. Security-wise, local automation is secure yet data and credentials must be protected. Remote automation is less secure but data and credentials can be encrypted and authenticated. Cloud-based automation is the least secure but security features and best practices of the service can be employed.
When automating mobile app deployment, you should plan and document your strategy and workflow, choose the right tools and services for your app's needs and goals, test and debug your scripts, tools, and services, use version control and configuration management for your app's code and resources, rely on continuous integration and continuous delivery for development and deployment, and use feedback and analytics to measure and improve your app's deployment and quality.
Create your CI/CD workflow when you start developing your app. DON'T do it later. This will help you - have a good workflow in place if you onboard new devs - Have some basic testing or analyzing in place from the beginning And it's just good practice. I personally use Github Actions with Fastlane, but any other tool will do.