Deployment

Getting a React Native app to users means producing a release build, signing it according to each platform's rules and submitting it to Google Play and the App Store. This chapter covers doing that with Expo's EAS, doing it with the native tools directly, and shipping over-the-air updates.

Before you ship

• Developer accounts: the App Store requires the Apple Developer Program (annual fee); Google Play requires a Play Console developer account (one-time registration fee).
• App identifiers: the iOS bundle identifier and the Android package name cannot change once the app is in the store, so choose them carefully.
• Versions: keep the user-facing version separate from the number that increases with every build (iOS buildNumber, Android versionCode).

{
  "expo": {
    "version": "1.2.0",
    "ios": { "bundleIdentifier": "com.example.myapp", "buildNumber": "12" },
    "android": { "package": "com.example.myapp", "versionCode": 12 }
  }
}

In a release build the JavaScript is bundled ahead of time into the app (as Hermes bytecode) and runs without a dev server. Always try the release build on a real device before submitting.

Building with EAS Build

EAS Build is Expo's cloud build service, and it works with both Expo projects and plain React Native projects. You can build iOS apps without a Mac, and EAS can generate and store your signing keystore, certificates and provisioning profiles.

npm install -g eas-cli
eas login
eas build:configure
eas build --platform android --profile production
eas build --platform ios --profile production

eas build:configure creates eas.json, which holds your build profiles:

{
  "cli": { "appVersionSource": "remote" },
  "build": {
    "development": { "developmentClient": true, "distribution": "internal" },
    "preview": { "distribution": "internal" },
    "production": { "autoIncrement": true }
  },
  "submit": { "production": {} }
}

development produces development builds, preview is for internal testing and production is for store submission; autoIncrement bumps the build number for you. Inspect and manage credentials with eas credentials, and run eas build --local to build on your own machine.

Submitting with EAS Submit

eas submit --platform ios
eas submit --platform android
eas build --platform all --auto-submit

iOS builds are uploaded to App Store Connect, where you can run a TestFlight beta before submitting for review. Android submissions need a Google service account key, and Google Play requires the very first upload to be done manually in the Play Console. Google Play expects an AAB (Android App Bundle), not an APK.