Automate Your Flutter Builds: CI/CD Pipeline for Dev/Staging/Prod in 30 Minutes (GitHub Actions +… (Part 1)

Automate Your Flutter Builds: CI/CD Pipeline for Dev/Staging/Prod in 30 Minutes (GitHub Actions +… (Part 1)

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Complete guide to setting up CI/CD for Flutter apps with GitHub Actions, Fastlane, and multiple environments.

Flutter DevOps Made Easy

Stop building manually! Set up automated CI/CD pipelines for your Flutter app with multiple environments — deploy to TestFlight and Play Store with a single commit

Hey There! 👋

Remember how we set up multiple environments (dev, staging, production) in our Flutter app? That was cool, right? But you know what's even cooler? Never having to manually build and deploy your app again! 🎉

Today, I'm gonna walk you through setting up a complete CI/CD pipeline that will:

  • Automatically build your app when you push code
  • Run tests before building
  • Deploy dev builds to internal testers automatically
  • Send staging builds to beta testers
  • Push production builds to app stores with approval
  • Do all of this for BOTH iOS and Android

And the best part? Once it's set up, you just push your code and grab a coffee while the robots do the work! ☕️🤖

🤔 What Exactly is CI/CD?

Let me break it down in simple terms:

CI (Continuous Integration): Every time you push code, it automatically builds and tests to make sure nothing broke.

CD (Continuous Deployment): If everything passes, it automatically deploys your app to testers or stores.

Think of it like having a super-efficient assistant who builds, tests, and ships your app while you focus on writing code!

🎯 What You'll Need

Before we start, make sure you have:

  • A Flutter app with multiple environments set up (check my previous article if you haven't!)
  • A GitHub account (we'll use GitHub Actions, but the concepts work for GitLab/Bitbucket too)
  • Apple Developer account ($99/year — for iOS)
  • Google Play Console account ($25 one-time — for Android)
  • About 30–45 minutes of your time

🏗️ Architecture Overview

Here's what we're building:

Push to branch → GitHub Actions triggered → 
Run tests → Build for specific environment → 
Deploy to distribution platform → Notify team
```

**Branches and Environments:**
- `develop` branch → Auto-deploy DEV builds
- `staging` branch → Auto-deploy STAGING builds  
- `main` branch → Deploy PRODUCTION builds (with approval)

---

### 📦 Step 1: Project Structure Setup

First, let's organize our project for CI/CD. Create these folders in your project root:
```
your_flutter_app/
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       ├── dev-build.yml
│       ├── staging-build.yml
│       └── production-build.yml
├── android/
│   ├── fastlane/
│   │   ├── Fastfile
│   │   └── Appfile
│   └── key.properties
├── ios/
│   └── fastlane/
│       ├── Fastfile
│       └── Appfile
├── lib/
└── scripts/
    ├── setup_android_signing.sh
    └── setup_ios_signing.sh

🔐 Step 2: Android Signing Setup

This is SUPER IMPORTANT — without proper signing, your builds won't work!

Step 2.1: Generate a Keystore

Open your terminal and run:

keytool -genkey -v -keystore ~/upload-keystore.jks \
  -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 \
  -alias upload

# You'll be asked for passwords - REMEMBER THEM!
# Store password: your_store_password
# Key password: your_key_password

Step 2.2: Create key.properties

Create android/key.properties (add this to .gitignore!):

storePassword=your_store_password
keyPassword=your_key_password
keyAlias=upload
storeFile=../upload-keystore.jks

Step 2.3: Update build.gradle

Edit android/app/build.gradle:

// Add this at the top
def keystoreProperties = new Properties()
def keystorePropertiesFile = rootProject.file('key.properties')
if (keystorePropertiesFile.exists()) {
    keystoreProperties.load(new FileInputStream(keystorePropertiesFile))
}

android {
    // ... existing config

    signingConfigs {
        release {
            keyAlias keystoreProperties['keyAlias']
            keyPassword keystoreProperties['keyPassword']
            storeFile keystoreProperties['storeFile'] ? file(keystoreProperties['storeFile']) : null
            storePassword keystoreProperties['storePassword']
        }
    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release
            // ... other settings
        }
    }
}

Step 2.4: Prepare for CI/CD

Encode your keystore to base64 (we'll store this as a secret):

base64 -i ~/upload-keystore.jks -o ~/upload-keystore.jks.base64

Keep this file safe — we'll need it later!

🍎 Step 3: iOS Signing Setup (The Match Approach)

iOS signing can be tricky, but we'll use Fastlane Match — the best way to handle it!

Step 3.1: Install Fastlane

# On Mac
brew install fastlane

# Or using RubyGems
sudo gem install fastlane

Step 3.2: Initialize Fastlane for iOS

cd ios
fastlane init

Select option 4 (Manual setup). This creates the fastlane folder.

Step 3.3: Set Up Match

Match stores your certificates in a private Git repository. Create a private repo on GitHub (e.g., your-company/certificates).

cd ios
fastlane match init

Select git and enter your certificates repo URL.

Step 3.4: Generate Certificates

# Development certificates
fastlane match development

# App Store certificates
fastlane match appstore

# You'll need your Apple ID and password
# Use app-specific password for 2FA accounts

Step 3.5: Update Xcode Project

  1. Open ios/Runner.xcworkspace in Xcode
  2. Select Runner target
  3. Go to Signing & Capabilities
  4. Uncheck "Automatically manage signing"
  5. Select provisioning profiles created by Match

🚀 Step 4: Fastlane Configuration

Now let's configure Fastlane to build and deploy our apps!

File: android/fastlane/Fastfile

default_platform(:android)

platform :android do

  desc "Build Development APK"
  lane :build_dev do
    flutter_build(
      build: "apk",
      target: "lib/main_dev.dart",
      dart_define: {
        ENVIRONMENT: "dev"
      }
    )
  end

  desc "Build Staging APK"
  lane :build_staging do
    flutter_build(
      build: "apk",
      target: "lib/main_staging.dart",
      dart_define: {
        ENVIRONMENT: "staging"
      }
    )
  end

  desc "Build and Deploy Production to Internal Testing"
  lane :deploy_internal do
    flutter_build(
      build: "appbundle",
      target: "lib/main_production.dart",
      dart_define: {
        ENVIRONMENT: "production"
      }
    )

    upload_to_play_store(
      track: 'internal',
      aab: '../build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab',
      skip_upload_screenshots: true,
      skip_upload_images: true,
      skip_upload_metadata: true
    )
  end

  desc "Deploy Production to Beta"
  lane :deploy_beta do
    flutter_build(
      build: "appbundle",
      target: "lib/main_production.dart",
      dart_define: {
        ENVIRONMENT: "production"
      }
    )

    upload_to_play_store(
      track: 'beta',
      aab: '../build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab'
    )
  end

  desc "Deploy to Production"
  lane :deploy_production do
    flutter_build(
      build: "appbundle",
      target: "lib/main_production.dart",
      dart_define: {
        ENVIRONMENT: "production"
      }
    )

    upload_to_play_store(
      track: 'production',
      aab: '../build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab'
    )
  end

  # Helper lane for Flutter builds
  private_lane :flutter_build do |options|
    sh("flutter", "clean")
    sh("flutter", "pub", "get")

    build_type = options[:build]
    target_file = options[:target]

    dart_defines = options[:dart_define].map { |k, v| "--dart-define=#{k}=#{v}" }.join(" ")

    sh("flutter", "build", build_type, "-t", target_file, *dart_defines.split(" "))
  end
end

File: android/fastlane/Appfile

json_key_file("") # Path to service account JSON (we'll set in CI)
package_name("com.yourcompany.myapp") # Your production package name

File: ios/fastlane/Fastfile

default_platform(:ios)

platform :ios do

  desc "Build Development IPA"
  lane :build_dev do
    setup_ci if ENV['CI']

    match(
      type: "development",
      readonly: true
    )

    flutter_build(
      target: "lib/main_dev.dart",
      export_method: "development"
    )
  end

  desc "Build Staging IPA"
  lane :build_staging do
    setup_ci if ENV['CI']

    match(
      type: "adhoc",
      readonly: true
    )

    flutter_build(
      target: "lib/main_staging.dart",
      export_method: "ad-hoc"
    )
  end

  desc "Build and Deploy to TestFlight"
  lane :deploy_testflight do
    setup_ci if ENV['CI']

    match(
      type: "appstore",
      readonly: true
    )

    flutter_build(
      target: "lib/main_production.dart",
      export_method: "app-store"
    )

    upload_to_testflight(
      skip_waiting_for_build_processing: true,
      skip_submission: true,
      distribute_external: false
    )
  end

  desc "Deploy to App Store"
  lane :deploy_appstore do
    setup_ci if ENV['CI']

    match(
      type: "appstore",
      readonly: true
    )

    flutter_build(
      target: "lib/main_production.dart",
      export_method: "app-store"
    )

    upload_to_app_store(
      submit_for_review: false,
      automatic_release: false,
      skip_screenshots: true,
      skip_metadata: true
    )
  end

  # Helper lane
  private_lane :flutter_build do |options|
    target_file = options[:target]
    export_method = options[:export_method]

    # Determine environment from target file
    environment = "production"
    if target_file.include?("dev")
      environment = "dev"
    elsif target_file.include?("staging")
      environment = "staging"
    end

    sh("flutter", "clean")
    sh("flutter", "pub", "get")
    sh("flutter", "build", "ios", 
       "-t", target_file,
       "--dart-define=ENVIRONMENT=#{environment}",
       "--release",
       "--no-codesign"
    )

    build_app(
      workspace: "Runner.xcworkspace",
      scheme: "Runner",
      export_method: export_method,
      output_directory: "../build/ios",
      output_name: "app.ipa"
    )
  end
end

File: ios/fastlane/Appfile

app_identifier("com.yourcompany.myapp") # Production bundle ID
apple_id("your-apple-id@email.com")
team_id("YOUR_TEAM_ID") # Find this in Apple Developer portal

itc_team_id("YOUR_ITC_TEAM_ID") # App Store Connect Team ID

🔑 Step 5: Set Up Google Play Service Account

For Android automated uploads, you need a service account!

Step 5.1: Create Service Account

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select existing
  3. Enable Google Play Android Developer API
  4. Go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
  5. Click Create Service Account
  6. Name it something like "GitHub Actions"
  7. Click Create and Continue
  8. Skip permissions for now, click Done

Step 5.2: Create JSON Key

  1. Click on your service account
  2. Go to Keys tab
  3. Click Add Key → Create new key
  4. Choose JSON format
  5. Download and save securely

Step 5.3: Grant Play Console Access

  1. Go to Google Play Console
  2. Go to Setup → API access
  3. Link your Cloud project if not linked
  4. Find your service account and grant access
  5. Go to Users and permissions
  6. Find service account and grant these permissions: • View app information • Manage production releases • Manage testing track releases

🎭 Step 6: GitHub Secrets Setup

Now we'll store all sensitive data securely!

Go to your GitHub repo → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → New repository secret

Add these secrets:

For Android:

  • ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64 - Your base64 encoded keystore
  • ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD - Store password
  • ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD - Key password
  • ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS - Key alias (usually "upload")
  • PLAY_STORE_CONFIG_JSON - Service account JSON content (entire file content)

For iOS:

  • MATCH_PASSWORD - Password you used when setting up match
  • MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION - Base64 of username:personal_access_token
  • APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID - Get from App Store Connect
  • APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID - Get from App Store Connect
  • APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT - Base64 of .p8 key file

For Both:

  • SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL - (Optional) For notifications

Pro tip: To create GitHub personal access token for Match:

  1. GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens
  2. Generate new token (classic)
  3. Select repo scope
  4. Copy token
  5. Encode to base64: echo -n "username:token" | base64

⚙️ Step 7: GitHub Actions Workflows

Now the exciting part — automating everything!

File: .github/workflows/dev-build.yml

name: 🔧 Development Build

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - develop
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - develop

jobs:
  test:
    name: Run Tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Run analyzer
        run: flutter analyze

      - name: Run tests
        run: flutter test

  build-android:
    name: Build Android Dev APK
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Java
        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
        with:
          distribution: 'zulu'
          java-version: '17'

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Decode Keystore
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 --decode > android/app/upload-keystore.jks

      - name: Create key.properties
        run: |
          cat > android/key.properties << EOF
          storePassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}
          keyPassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          keyAlias=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS }}
          storeFile=upload-keystore.jks
          EOF

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Build DEV APK
        run: |
          flutter build apk \
            -t lib/main_dev.dart \
            --dart-define=ENVIRONMENT=dev \
            --release

      - name: Upload APK
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: dev-apk
          path: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "✅ DEV Android build successful!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*DEV Android Build Completed*\n\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Branch:* ${{ github.ref_name }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

  build-ios:
    name: Build iOS Dev IPA
    needs: test
    runs-on: macos-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Install Fastlane
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle install

      - name: Setup Match
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane match development --readonly

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Build DEV IPA
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane build_dev

      - name: Upload IPA
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: dev-ipa
          path: ios/build/ios/app.ipa

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "✅ DEV iOS build successful!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*DEV iOS Build Completed*\n\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Branch:* ${{ github.ref_name }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

File: .github/workflows/staging-build.yml

name: 🧪 Staging Build & Deploy

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - staging

jobs:
  test:
    name: Run Tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Run analyzer
        run: flutter analyze

      - name: Run tests
        run: flutter test

  deploy-android:
    name: Deploy Android to Internal Testing
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Java
        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
        with:
          distribution: 'zulu'
          java-version: '17'

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.0'
          bundler-cache: true
          working-directory: android

      - name: Decode Keystore
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 --decode > android/app/upload-keystore.jks

      - name: Create key.properties
        run: |
          cat > android/key.properties << EOF
          storePassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}
          keyPassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          keyAlias=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS }}
          storeFile=upload-keystore.jks
          EOF

      - name: Create Play Store JSON
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.PLAY_STORE_CONFIG_JSON }}" > android/play-store-credentials.json

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Deploy to Internal Testing
        run: |
          cd android
          bundle exec fastlane deploy_internal
        env:
          SUPPLY_JSON_KEY: play-store-credentials.json

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "🚀 STAGING Android deployed to Internal Testing!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*STAGING Android Deployed*\n\n*Track:* Internal Testing\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

  deploy-ios:
    name: Deploy iOS to TestFlight
    needs: test
    runs-on: macos-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.0'
          bundler-cache: true
          working-directory: ios

      - name: Setup Match
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane match appstore --readonly

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Deploy to TestFlight
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane deploy_testflight

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "🚀 STAGING iOS deployed to TestFlight!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*STAGING iOS Deployed*\n\n*Platform:* TestFlight\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

File: .github/workflows/production-build.yml

name: 🚀 Production Build & Deploy

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  test:
    name: Run Tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Run analyzer
        run: flutter analyze

      - name: Run tests
        run: flutter test

      - name: Check test coverage
        run: |
          flutter test --coverage
          # You can add coverage checks here

  deploy-android:
    name: Deploy Android to Beta
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment:
      name: production-android
      url: https://play.google.com/console
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Java
        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
        with:
          distribution: 'zulu'
          java-version: '17'

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.0'
          bundler-cache: true
          working-directory: android

      - name: Decode Keystore
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 --decode > android/app/upload-keystore.jks

      - name: Create key.properties
        run: |
          cat > android/key.properties << EOF
          storePassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}
          keyPassword=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          keyAlias=${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS }}
          storeFile=upload-keystore.jks
          EOF

      - name: Create Play Store JSON
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.PLAY_STORE_CONFIG_JSON }}" > android/play-store-credentials.json

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Deploy to Beta
        run: |
          cd android
          bundle exec fastlane deploy_beta
        env:
          SUPPLY_JSON_KEY: play-store-credentials.json

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "🎉 PRODUCTION Android deployed to Beta!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*PRODUCTION Android Deployed*\n\n*Track:* Beta\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Tag:* ${{ github.ref_name }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

  deploy-ios:
    name: Deploy iOS to TestFlight
    needs: test
    runs-on: macos-latest
    environment:
      name: production-ios
      url: https://appstoreconnect.apple.com
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Setup Flutter
        uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
        with:
          flutter-version: '3.24.0'
          channel: 'stable'

      - name: Setup Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.0'
          bundler-cache: true
          working-directory: ios

      - name: Setup Match
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane match appstore --readonly

      - name: Get dependencies
        run: flutter pub get

      - name: Deploy to TestFlight
        env:
          MATCH_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MATCH_PASSWORD }}
          MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION: ${{ secrets.MATCH_GIT_BASIC_AUTHORIZATION }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID }}
          APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_CONTENT }}
        run: |
          cd ios
          bundle exec fastlane deploy_testflight

      - name: Send Slack Notification
        if: success()
        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
        with:
          webhook: ${{ secrets.SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL }}
          payload: |
            {
              "text": "🎉 PRODUCTION iOS deployed to TestFlight!",
              "blocks": [
                {
                  "type": "section",
                  "text": {
                    "type": "mrkdwn",
                    "text": "*PRODUCTION iOS Deployed*\n\n*Platform:* TestFlight\n*Commit:* ${{ github.sha }}\n*Tag:* ${{ github.ref_name }}\n*Author:* ${{ github.actor }}"
                  }
                }
              ]
            }

🎨 Step 8: Additional Configurations

File: android/Gemfile

source "https://rubygems.org"

gem "fastlane"
gem "fastlane-plugin-flutter"

Run bundle install in the android directory.

File: ios/Gemfile

source "https://rubygems.org"

gem "fastlane"
gem "fastlane-plugin-flutter"

Run bundle install in the ios directory.

🔔 Step 9: Set Up Slack Notifications (Optional but Awesome!)

Step 9.1: Create Slack Webhook

  1. Go to your Slack workspace
  2. Go to Apps → Incoming Webhooks
  3. Click Add to Slack
  4. Choose a channel for notifications
  5. Copy the webhook URL

Step 9.2: Add to GitHub Secrets

Add SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL as a secret in your GitHub repo.

Now you'll get notifications for every build! 🎉

🎯 Step 10: Branch Protection Rules

Protect your branches to enforce quality!

For main and staging branches:

  1. Go to GitHub repo → Settings → Branches
  2. Click Add rule
  3. Branch name pattern: main (or staging)
  4. Enable: • Require pull request reviews before merging • Require status checks to pass before merging • Select the "Run Tests" check • Require branches to be up to date before merging • Do not allow bypassing the above settings

This ensures no one can push directly to production without tests passing!

🚦 Step 11: Versioning Strategy

Let's add automatic version bumping!

File: scripts/bump_version.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Usage: ./scripts/bump_version.sh [major|minor|patch]

TYPE=${1:-patch}

# Read current version from pubspec.yaml
CURRENT_VERSION=$(grep '^version: ' pubspec.yaml | sed 's/version: //' | sed 's/+.*//')
CURRENT_BUILD=$(grep '^version: ' pubspec.yaml | sed 's/.*+//')

# Split version into parts
IFS='.' read -r -a VERSION_PARTS <<< "$CURRENT_VERSION"

MAJOR=${VERSION_PARTS[0]}
MINOR=${VERSION_PARTS[1]}
PATCH=${VERSION_PARTS[2]}

# Bump version based on type
case $TYPE in
  major)
    MAJOR=$((MAJOR + 1))
    MINOR=0
    PATCH=0
    ;;
  minor)
    MINOR=$((MINOR + 1))
    PATCH=0
    ;;
  patch)
    PATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
    ;;
esac

# Increment build number
NEW_BUILD=$((CURRENT_BUILD + 1))

# New version string
NEW_VERSION="${MAJOR}.${MINOR}.${PATCH}+${NEW_BUILD}"

# Update pubspec.yaml
sed -i.bak "s/^version: .*/version: ${NEW_VERSION}/" pubspec.yaml
rm pubspec.yaml.bak

echo "Version bumped from ${CURRENT_VERSION}+${CURRENT_BUILD} to ${NEW_VERSION}"

Make it executable:

chmod +x scripts/bump_version.sh

Usage:

# Bump patch version (1.0.0 -> 1.0.1)
./scripts/bump_version.sh patch

# Bump minor version (1.0.0 -> 1.1.0)
./scripts/bump_version.sh minor

# Bump major version (1.0.0 -> 2.0.0)
./scripts/bump_version.sh major

📊 Step 12: Adding Test Coverage Reports

Let's add code coverage to our workflow!

Update .github/workflows/dev-build.yml (add to test job):

test:
    name: Run Tests
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      # ... existing steps ...

      - name: Run tests with coverage
        run: flutter test --coverage

      - name: Upload coverage to Codecov
        uses: codecov/codecov-action@v3
        with:
          files: ./coverage/lcov.info
          name: flutter-coverage
          fail_ci_if_error: false

      - name: Check coverage threshold
        run: |
          # Install lcov
          sudo apt-get install -y lcov

          # Generate coverage report
          lcov --summary coverage/lcov.info

          # Extract coverage percentage
          COVERAGE=$(lcov --summary coverage/lcov.info 2>&1 | grep "lines" | awk '{print $2}' | sed 's/%//')

          echo "Coverage: ${COVERAGE}%"

          # Fail if coverage is below 80%
          if (( $(echo "$COVERAGE < 80" | bc -l) )); then
            echo "❌ Coverage is below 80%!"
            exit 1
          fi

          echo "✅ Coverage is above 80%!"

🎭 Step 13: Environment-Specific Release Notes

Create a system for automatic release notes!

File: scripts/generate_changelog.sh

#!/bin/bash

# Get the last tag
LAST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null)

if [ -z "$LAST_TAG" ]; then
  echo "No previous tags found. Showing all commits."
  COMMITS=$(git log --pretty=format:"- %s (%an)" --no-merges)
else
  echo "Changes since $LAST_TAG:"
  COMMITS=$(git log $LAST_TAG..HEAD --pretty=format:"- %s (%an)" --no-merges)
fi

# Categorize commits
FEATURES=$(echo "$COMMITS" | grep -i "^- feat" || echo "")
FIXES=$(echo "$COMMITS" | grep -i "^- fix" || echo "")
OTHERS=$(echo "$COMMITS" | grep -iv "^- feat\|^- fix" || echo "")

# Generate changelog
cat << EOF
# What's New

## 🎉 New Features
$FEATURES

## 🐛 Bug Fixes
$FIXES

## 📝 Other Changes
$OTHERS
EOF

Make it executable:

chmod +x scripts/generate_changelog.sh

Add to your workflows for automatic release notes!

🚀 Step 14: Testing Your Pipeline

Time to test everything!

Step 14.1: Test Development Build

git checkout -b develop
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add CI/CD pipeline"
git push origin develop

Watch the GitHub Actions tab! You should see:

  • Tests running ✅
  • Android APK building ✅
  • iOS IPA building ✅
  • Artifacts uploaded ✅
  • Slack notification (if configured) ✅

Step 14.2: Test Staging Deployment

git checkout -b staging
git push origin staging

This should:

  • Run tests ✅
  • Build and deploy to Play Store Internal Testing ✅
  • Build and deploy to TestFlight ✅

Step 14.3: Test Production (with approval)

git checkout -b main
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin main --tags

You'll need to approve the deployment in GitHub:

  1. Go to Actions tab
  2. Click on the workflow run
  3. Click "Review deployments"
  4. Select environments to deploy
  5. Click "Approve and deploy"

🔧 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: "Build failed — Unable to find keystore"

Solution: Make sure you've correctly encoded and saved your keystore as a secret. Double-check the base64 encoding:

# Verify your base64 encoding
base64 -i upload-keystore.jks -o test.txt
base64 --decode -i test.txt -o test.jks
# If test.jks is identical to original, encoding is correct!

Issue 2: "iOS signing failed — Certificate not found"

Solution: Make sure Match is set up correctly:

# Run locally first to test
cd ios
fastlane match development
fastlane match appstore

# Verify certificates exist in your certificates repo

Issue 3: "Flutter version mismatch"

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