June 2021 Summaries

To migrate an iOS app from Jenkins and fastlane to Bitrise, create a new free account on the Bitrise website, add your project, and set up repository access. Review the build configuration and confirm it. Set up Webhooks and trigger your first iOS build. In the Workflow Editor, add predefined steps for managing app dependencies, incrementing version/build number, obtaining certificates and provisioning profiles, building the app, performing UI tests, updating AppStore screenshots and metadata, sending a Slack notification with the build status, and adding Environment variables. Choose between using Bitrise's code signing steps or fastlane match integration. Add new steps to run different lanes in the Fastfile by clicking on the [+] button. Run your iOS CI/CD workflow manually or schedule it based on triggers like GitHub branch changes. The final result allows for seamless building and releasing of applications with no extra effort, and further information can be found in Bitrise's migration guide and comparison with Jenkins.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of high-quality mobile applications, with companies facing challenges such as maintaining user experience, reducing costs, and increasing speed. Bitrise, a company that enables developers to work faster and produce higher-quality applications, has introduced its second-generation build infrastructure (Gen2), which aims to improve build performance and speed up builds by up to 50% on macOS. Gen2 is built on a new hypervisor, newer hardware, and a more efficient orchestration system, providing faster Virtual Machines boot-up times, improved vCPU and memory allocation, and better consistency in build time. The new infrastructure is designed to be future-proof, secure, and reliable, with backwards compatibility with the previous generation. Gen2 is now available for customers on select plans, and Bitrise continues to improve its infrastructure to meet customer expectations.

zx is a Javascript library open-sourced by Google that makes it easier to write simple Bash-like scripts in Javascript, providing functions like executing external commands and working with the output in Javascript.` Bitrise provides a Script step that can be used to write custom CI scripts in Bash or other languages like Javascript using the `zx` library. The `zx` library is a wrapper around Node.js's process handling, allowing users to easily call external commands from their code and work with the output in Javascript. With `zx`, users can write custom scripts in Javascript without having to learn Bash. Bitrise has hundreds of workflow steps for common operations, but users may need to do something custom, which is where the Script step comes in. Users can install `zx` globally using npm or a script step and use it in their workflows. The Script step allows users to set up Node.js version 14, which is the minimum required version for `zx`. The main part of setting up a workflow involves writing Javascript code in the Bitrise editor, with inputs like Script content, Execute with /runner binary, and Script file path. When running the workflow, the script is executed instantly, providing faster iteration and making it easier to write scripts. The `zx` library provides functions like `$` which executes an external command, cd() changes the current working directory, fetch() makes HTTP requests easy, and more.

WWDC 2021 was held virtually due to the pandemic, as in previous years, and featured numerous exciting announcements about new technologies, updates, and improvements for all Apple products. Tim Cook kicked off the event with a focus on sharing Apple's latest technologies with millions of developers worldwide and supporting the developer community. Craig Federighi presented the new iOS 15 features, which include SharePlay, FaceTime portrait mode, voice isolation, Focus, and more. iOS 15 also introduced a live text feature that allows users to select, translate, and search for text within images. Apple Maps in iOS 15 has new transit features, new walking instructions, and new road details for drivers. Additionally, the company announced iOS 15 Preview page, iPadOS 15 with Widgets on the home screen, MultiTasking, Translate, and more. macOS Monterey was also introduced, arriving this fall, with new features like FaceTime, photo collections, messages, Safari, Universal Control, AirPlay to Mac, and Shortcuts on Mac. watchOS 8 improved with Portrait mode in photos, New Memories, sharing photos via Messages and Mail, and health and fitness features. The developer tools and technologies saw the announcement of Xcode 13 beta, Swift 5.5 with new features like Swift Concurrency, Swift Package Collections, DocC, and more. Other notable announcements included TestFlight on Mac, Xcode Cloud, enhanced App Store features, and updates to AVKit, CloudKit, App Clips, Foundation, and App Analytics.

Xcode Cloudは、クラウドベースのCI/CDサービスを利用してアプリケーションのビルドやテスト、配信を可能にし、アップルの開発者向けツール群に新たに追加されました。Xcode 13に組み込まれたXcode Cloudは、自動化された互換性テストなど興味深い機能を提供しており、iOS開発者により優れたネイティブツールを提供することを目的としています。今後は、クロスプラットフォームのサポート、高速なGen-2インフラ、すぐに使い始めることができる機能満載のStepライブラリなど、すでに実現している全ての分野においてより優れたサービスを提供してまいります。Xcode CloudはiOS向けにのみ設計されているため、小規模なチームやインディーの開発者向けに作成されているようです。

The Android testing framework is based on two main categorizations: resources required by the tests and size of the tests. Tests can be categorized into Local Unit Tests that do not require a device, Instrumented unit tests that require a device but do not display UI, and UI tests that require a device and display UI. Tests can also be classified into three sizes based on the number of components they cover: Small tests (unit tests), Medium tests (integration tests), and Large tests (UI tests). The key to effective test writing is achieving a balance between unit tests, integration tests, and UI tests. A recommended strategy is to use the Testing Pyramid, which suggests having as many unit tests as possible, followed by integration tests, and then UI tests. This approach allows for efficient testing with minimal resources while still covering essential aspects of the application.

Xcode Cloud is a cloud-based CI/CD service built into Xcode 13, offering features such as automated compatibility testing and automatic code signing, which will benefit iOS developers by providing better native tools and a more streamlined distribution workflow. This announcement is seen as a welcome entry to the mobile CI/CD space, with Bitrise competitor Bitrise already having a robust platform for cross-platform support, high-speed infrastructure, and customization options, but Xcode Cloud offering some unique features that will help iOS teams on Bitrise even more effectively. The limited free beta of Xcode Cloud is currently available, with a full release expected within the next year, although pricing details have not been announced yet.

At Bitrise, Kata O'Brien works as a Technical Support Representative - Operational Lead in the US, where she supports users from the East Coast and ensures that organizational processes are effectively carried out on a day-to-day basis. She has been working in tech for over 6 years, starting as a customer support representative at a Hungarian startup, Prezi, and later joining Bitrise two years ago. Kata is a people person who loves problem-solving and helping others, which led her to pursue a career in tech. Despite being one of the lucky ones with supportive colleagues, she acknowledges that women are still underrepresented in technology and attributes this to how we talk about tech and associate it with "coding". She believes that there are many opportunities within an organization that are not clearly communicated to women, leading them to overlook the field. Kata's role at Bitrise involves 50% technical support and 50% operational lead work, where she finds solutions for customer issues and ensures processes run smoothly. She attributes her growth to accepting challenges, prioritization, and having a supportive team. Kata emphasizes that there is no typical day in tech and that growth happens every day, but also wishes she had known how to speak up earlier and be more confident in her abilities.

In this podcast episode, we talked to cybersecurity expert Anastasiia Voitova about all things related to mobile app security, from taking the first steps to prevent potential attacks and achieving high levels of DevSecOps maturity. Anastasiia's journey into security began when she realized that as a developer, she had excessive access to users' data, prompting her to transition from an apps developer to a security engineer. We discussed various aspects of app security, including end-to-end security checks, zero knowledge and zero trust architectures, and cryptography best practices. Anastasiia shared insights on how mobile teams can approach implementing these practices, such as data encryption, authentication, and secure coding, and provided her perspective on the future of app security and its expected evolution in the coming years.