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Local testing

If you want to test Expo Open OTA locally, you can use the provided docker-compose file to run the server locally and expose it on internet using reverse proxy like ngrok.

Clone the repository​

git clone https://github.com/axelmarciano/expo-open-ota
cd expo-open-ota

Setup .env​

Setup environment variables by creating a .env file in the root directory of the project.

Run the server using docker-compose​

docker-compose build
docker-compose up

The server is now running on port 3000.

🚀 Running the Example App​

The example app is located in apps/example-app and is designed to help you test the update server locally.

note

ℹī¸ The app must be run in release mode to properly test OTA behavior.

Setup certificates​

The signing certificates required for update validation are located in:

apps/example-app/certs/certificate-dev.pem
apps/example-app/certs/public-key.pem

To enable update signature verification, you must configure these certificates in your server environment. Ref

Build the Example App​

yarn prebuild_production
OR
yarn prebuild_staging

Configure the Expo Project​

Create an Expo project in your Expo dashboard with two branches:

  • staging
  • production

Each branch should have its own release channel. Then retrieve the Project ID from the Expo dashboard.

Update app.json​

In apps/example-app/app.json, replace YOUR_PROJECT_ID with your actual Expo project ID:

"extra": {
  "router": {
    "origin": false
  },
  "eas": {
    "projectId": "YOUR_PROJECT_ID"
  }
}

Android Setup​

yarn prebuild_production   # Prebuild the app with the 'production' config
cd android
./gradlew clean            # Clean previous builds
./gradlew assembleRelease  # Build the release APK
./gradlew installRelease   # Install the release APK on a connected device/emulator

IOS​

cd ios
pod cache clean --all
pod install

Then:

  1. Open the iOS project in Xcode: open ios/*.xcworkspace
  2. Go to: Product → Scheme → Edit Scheme
  3. Under Run, set Build Configuration to Release

Testing OTA Updates​

Once the app is installed in release mode, use the following commands to test OTA updates:

yarn release_production   # Publish an update to the 'production' channel
yarn release_staging      # Publish an update to the 'staging' channel

The app will dynamically switch between channels at runtime if configured accordingly.