Build, Test and Ship React Native Apps (iOS) Using Fastlane and Semaphore

Automating repetitive tasks is essential for productivity, and for mobile developers, this includes the tedious process of building and distributing apps. While Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) has been long established, it is relatively new to front-end development, yet tools like Fastlane and Semaphore CI are available to streamline these processes for React Native applications. Fastlane, an open-source platform supported by Google, simplifies Android and iOS deployments by automating tasks such as screenshot captures, beta distributions, code signing, and app store releases, with a variety of community actions and plugins to expedite these processes. The tutorial explains how to set up Fastlane for iOS apps, including installation and configuration steps, and how to manage app signing and secrets using Semaphore CI. Semaphore CI enhances productivity with its robust infrastructure, offering Apple VMs and pre-configured templates that allow for efficient setup of CI/CD workflows. Developers can define and execute jobs like installing dependencies, running lint, and conducting unit, integration, and end-to-end tests in parallel. The article concludes by highlighting the ease of automating app distribution with Semaphore's promotion feature, which facilitates continuous deployment through branching pipelines.