Master CI/CD for Flutter: Comprehensive Guide with Codemagic, Bitrise, and GitHub Actions

CI/CD for Flutter with Codemagic, Bitrise, and GitHub Actions

Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) are crucial practices in modern software development, enabling faster delivery of reliable applications. This guide explores how to set up CI/CD pipelines for Flutter apps using Codemagic, Bitrise, and GitHub Actions.

Codemagic

Codemagic is a CI/CD tool specifically designed for Flutter and mobile applications.

Setting Up Codemagic

1. Sign Up and Create a Project:

   • Go to Codemagic and sign up.

   • Connect your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.

   • Select the Flutter project repository you want to build.

2. Configure Workflow:

   • Configure your build settings, including the Flutter version, build triggers, and build arguments.

   • Example codemagic.yaml:

       yamlCopy codeworkflows:
         default:
           name: Flutter Workflow
           max_build_duration: 60
           environment:
             flutter: stable
           scripts:
             - name: Install Dependencies
               script: |
                 flutter packages get
             - name: Run Tests
               script: |
                 flutter test
             - name: Build APK
               script: |
                 flutter build apk --release
           artifacts:
             - build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk
     

3. Trigger Builds:

   • You can manually trigger builds or set up automatic builds on push to specific branches.

4. Deploy:

   • Configure deployment settings for platforms like Google Play, App Store, or custom deployments using scripts.

Bitrise

Bitrise is a popular CI/CD platform for mobile apps, supporting various mobile frameworks including Flutter.

Setting Up Bitrise

1. Sign Up and Create a Project:

   • Go to Bitrise and sign up.

   • Connect your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket account.

   • Select the Flutter project repository.

2. Configure Workflow:

   • Bitrise provides a visual workflow editor where you can add steps to your pipeline.

   • Example steps:

     • Flutter Install

     • Flutter Analyze

     • Flutter Test

     • Flutter Build

3. Example bitrise.yml:

    yamlCopy codeworkflows:
      default:
        steps:
          - activate-ssh-key@4.0.3:
              title: Activate SSH key
          - git-clone@4.0.14:
              title: Git Clone Repository
          - flutter-installer@0.9.1:
              title: Install Flutter
          - flutter-analyze@0.1.2:
              title: Flutter Analyze
          - flutter-test@0.11.0:
              title: Run Flutter Tests
          - flutter-build@0.13.0:
              inputs:
                - platform: android
                - mode: release
          - deploy-to-bitrise-io@1.9.3:
              title: Deploy to Bitrise
   

4. Trigger Builds:

   • Configure build triggers to start builds on specific branch events or manually trigger builds.

5. Deploy:

   • Use built-in steps for deployment to Google Play, App Store, or other custom destinations.

GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions is a powerful CI/CD tool integrated directly into GitHub repositories.

Setting Up GitHub Actions

1. Create a Workflow File:

   • In your Flutter project repository, create a directory .github/workflows.

   • Add a workflow file, e.g., flutter.yml.

2. Example flutter.yml:

    yamlCopy codename: Flutter CI
   
    on:
      push:
        branches:
          - main
      pull_request:
        branches:
          - main
   
    jobs:
      build:
   
        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
   
        steps:
        - name: Checkout repository
          uses: actions/checkout@v2
   
        - name: Set up Flutter
          uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
          with:
            flutter-version: '2.2.3'
   
        - name: Install dependencies
          run: flutter pub get
   
        - name: Analyze
          run: flutter analyze
   
        - name: Test
          run: flutter test
   
        - name: Build APK
          run: flutter build apk --release
   
        - name: Upload APK
          uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
          with:
            name: app-release.apk
            path: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk
   

3. Trigger Builds:

   • Builds are triggered on push to the main branch or on pull requests targeting the main branch.

4. Deploy:

   • Use additional GitHub Actions or scripts to deploy builds to Google Play, App Store, or other services.

Conclusion

By setting up CI/CD pipelines with Codemagic, Bitrise, or GitHub Actions, you can automate the building, testing, and deployment of your Flutter applications. This not only improves your development workflow but also ensures a consistent and reliable delivery process.