Automating Multi-Tenant Mobile App Deployment with GitHub Actions and Fastlane

Project Year

2022

Industry

Mobile Apps

Overview

One of our South American clients required a React Native mobile application that could be dynamically configured for different clients, allowing each to have its own branding, API configurations, and deployment setup. Additionally, the deployment process needed to be fully automated to ensure seamless and scalable delivery of both Android and iOS applications. 

Client Challenges:

Manual Deployment Bottlenecks

The traditional deployment process was highly manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors. Each time a client requested an update, developers had to

01

Modify

Modify configurations manually.

02

Application

Build the application separately for Android and iOS.


03

Certificates

Handle signing keys, certificates, and provisioning profiles manually.

04

Uploads

Upload the builds to the Play Store and App Store.


This approach led to inefficiencies, delays, and inconsistencies, making scaling nearly impossible as the number of clients increased

Automation Challenges

Dynamic Configurations

Each client required unique branding, API endpoints, and environment variables.


Code Signing & Provisioning

Managing Android Keystores, iOS provisioning profiles, and certificates securely.


Automated CI/CD

Implementing a robust continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipeline for Android and iOS.


Google Play & App Store Integration

Automating the upload of builds while ensuring compliance with store policies.

Solution: A Fully Automated Multi-Tenant Deployment Pipeline

To address these challenges, we implemented an automated CI/CD pipeline leveraging GitHub Actions and Fastlane for both Android and iOS.

API configuration

Clients first fill out a form, specifying their branding, API configurations, and other settings.


Firebase

The submitted data is stored in Firebase Firestore.


Deployment pipeline

When a build is triggered, the deployment pipeline fetches the stored configurations from Firestore.


Fetch

The fetched configuration is then used to update the respective configuration files dynamically before the build process starts


Dynamic and scalable.

This eliminates the need for separate .env files, making the process truly dynamic and scalable.

 Android Deployment Automation with Fastlane & GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions Workflow:

A YAML-based workflow automates builds and deployments.


Gradle Build Automation:

The workflow ensures proper Java and Node.js environments before building the Android app.

Fastlane for Deployment:

  1. Automates APK/AAB generation.
  2. Uploads builds to Google Play’s internal testing track.


 iOS Deployment Automation with App Store Connect API

GitHub Actions Workflow:

  1. Automates code signing, provisioning profile generation, and building archiving.
  2. Utilizes Apple’s App Store Connect API for managing provisioning profiles dynamically.



Fastlane for Deployment:

  1. Handles app archive creation and export.
  2.  Uploads builds to TestFlight and the App Store.



Secure Key Management:

Used GitHub Secrets to store App Store Connect API keys securely.


 Automated Versioning & Release Management

Semantic Versioning: Implemented an automatic versioning strategy based on Git tags.


Release Automation: GitHub Actions triggers deployments on merging to the main branch.


Changelog Generation: Automatically generates release notes based on commit messages.

Implementation & Optimization Strategies

To ensure efficiency and reliability, we introduced:

Parallel Execution:

Android and iOS builds run concurrently, reducing deployment time.



Error & Retry Mechanisms:

Workflows retry failed deployments to ensure minimal manual intervention.

Secure Credential Management:

Encrypted secrets store signing keys, API keys, and certificates securely.

Scalable Architecture: 

The system supports an unlimited number of clients without manual configuration changes.

Business Impact & Results

Benefits Provided

Conclusion & Future Enhancements

By leveraging GitHub Actions and Fastlane, we successfully automated the deployment of a multi-tenant React Native application, enabling seamless and efficient app releases. This automation not only streamlined operations but also empowered the client to scale their offerings without additional deployment overhead.

Future Enhancements

 AI-Powered Testing

Implement automated UI testing using AI to detect UI/UX issues.

Real-Time Monitoring

Integrate App Store and Play Store monitoring for crash reports and analytics.

 Auto-Rollback on Failure

Implement intelligent rollback mechanisms for failed deployments.

This case study showcases how automation can transform mobile app deployment, improving efficiency, scalability, and reliability for businesses looking to scale their applications effortlessly.