Ionic App – Automated Release APK Creation – Shell Commands

This article represents code samples which could be used to automate Ionic App release APK file creation further to which this APK file can be uploaded to Google Playstore and released. Please feel free to comment/suggest if I missed to mention one or more important points. Also, sorry for the typos.

Commands to Automate Building Ionic App Release APK

Copy and paste following commands in a file named as release.bat. When ready to release, execute “release.bat” on the command prompt and you should have an APK file created for releasing it to playstore. Following are key points to be noted:

• Before executing below commands, one would be required to create one-time private key used to sign the APK file. The file is then entered as “private keystore filename” in the commands below. Following could be sample command to create keystore namely, my-release-key.keystore.

  keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore -alias alias_name -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
  

• Make a note of “keystore password” which is used to create keystore when executing above command.
• Make a note of how command is executed using “cmd /c”.
• Make a note of “echo password”| jarsigner… command representing the fact that password is automatically sent to command thereby avoiding the user to input password when prompted.

Place following code in a release.bat file in the home directory of Ionic App and, execute “release.bat” from the home directory.

cmd /c cordova build --release android

cmd /c echo <keystore password>|jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore <private keystore filename> <path_to_apk_generated_using_cordova_build>gt; <alias name>

cmd /c del <apk file to be released to playstore>

cmd /c zipalign.exe -v 4 <path_to_apk_generated_using_cordova_build> <apk file to be released to playstore>