Deploy iOS

If you use GitHub to host your code, you can use GitHub Actions to build your app for iOS. This is the first step in automating deployment to the App Store.

This guide follows the same workflow as the Ionic tutorial for building an iOS app with GitHub Actions.

1. Create a .github/workflows directory in your project root.
2. Create a file named app-ios.yml with the following content:

name: Build iOS

on:
  push:
    branches: [ "main" ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ "main" ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: macos-13
    name: Build iOS app
    steps:
      - name: Checkout source
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install the Apple certificate and provisioning profile
        env:
          BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64 }}
          P12_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.P12_PASSWORD }}
          BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64 }}
          KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD }}
        run: |
          # create variables
          CERTIFICATE_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/build_certificate.p12
          PP_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/build_pp.mobileprovision
          KEYCHAIN_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db

          # import certificate and provisioning profile from secrets
          echo -n "$BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64" | base64 --decode -o $CERTIFICATE_PATH
          echo -n "$BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64" | base64 --decode -o $PP_PATH

          # create temporary keychain
          security create-keychain -p "$KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD" $KEYCHAIN_PATH
          security set-keychain-settings -lut 21600 $KEYCHAIN_PATH
          security unlock-keychain -p "$KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD" $KEYCHAIN_PATH

          # import certificate to keychain
          security import $CERTIFICATE_PATH -P "$P12_PASSWORD" -A -t cert -f pkcs12 -k $KEYCHAIN_PATH
          security list-keychain -d user -s $KEYCHAIN_PATH

          # apply provisioning profile
          mkdir -p ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles
          cp $PP_PATH ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles

      - name: Set up XCode
        uses: maxim-lobanov/setup-xcode@v1
        with:
          xcode-version: latest

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20.x

      - name: Install app dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Build project app
        run: npm run build

      - name: Capacitor sync
        run: npx cap sync

      - name: Build project
        run: xcodebuild -workspace './ios/App/App.xcworkspace' -scheme App -destination generic/platform=iOS -archivePath App.xcarchive archive

      - name: Create binary (.ipa)
        run: xcodebuild archive -archivePath App.xcarchive -exportArchive -exportOptionsPlist ./ios/archive.plist -exportPath output -allowProvisioningUpdates

This workflow requires several repository secrets. In your GitHub repository, go to Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions and create these secrets:

• BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64
• P12_PASSWORD
• BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64
• KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD

Export the Certificate

1. In Xcode, open Xcode > Settings... > Accounts > Manage Certificates....
2. Right-click the Distribution certificate and select Export Certificate.
3. Save the .p12 file as app.p12 and enter a password.
4. Use that password for the P12_PASSWORD secret.

To create the BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64 secret, run:

base64 -i app.p12 | pbcopy

The certificate contents will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste them into the BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64 secret.

Create the Provisioning Profile

Sign in to the Apple Developer Portal.

1. Go to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles > Profiles.
2. Click the + button.
3. Choose the App Store Connect distribution option and click Continue.
4. Select your app and click Continue.
5. Select the distribution certificate and click Continue.
6. Give the profile a name and click Generate.
7. Save the file as profile.mobileprovision.

To create the BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64 secret, run:

base64 -i profile.mobileprovision | pbcopy

The provisioning profile contents will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste them into the BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64 secret.

Create a Keychain Password

Create a random password and save it as the KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD repository secret.

Create archive.plist

Create archive.plist in your ios directory with the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>method</key>
  <string>app-store</string>
  <key>provisioningProfiles</key>
  <dict>
    <key>[your-bundle-id]</key>
    <string>[provisioning-profile-name]</string>
  </dict>
</dict>
</plist>

Replace [your-bundle-id] with your bundle identifier and [provisioning-profile-name] with the name of the provisioning profile you created.

The xcodebuild archive command uses this file to export the .ipa.

Summary

At this point, GitHub Actions has the files and secrets it needs to build your iOS app.

Review the build steps for your own project. For example, the workflow uses npm run build, but you may want to swap that for a production-specific build command.

The next step is extending this workflow to send the build to TestFlight.