Distribute CLI v2.1.0

Distribute CLI is a command-line tool to automate building and distributing Flutter applications for Android and iOS. It provides a unified workflow for building, publishing, and managing app distribution with a single YAML configuration file.

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Features

• Build and distribute Flutter apps for Android and iOS
• Unified configuration with distribution.yaml
• Supports Firebase App Distribution, Fastlane, and more
• Variable substitution for environment and custom variables
• Detailed logging to distribution.log
• Customizable tasks and jobs for flexible workflows

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Prerequisites

• Flutter
• Firebase CLI
• Fastlane
• macOS with Xcode (for iOS builds)

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Installation

dart pub global activate distribute_cli

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Getting Started

1. Initialize Your Project

distribute init --package-name=com.example.app

This command sets up the required directories and generates a starter distribution.yaml.

2. Configure distribution.yaml

Edit the generated distribution.yaml to define your build and publish tasks, jobs, and variables.

Example

name: "Distribution CLI"
description: "A CLI tool to build and publish your application."
variables:
  ANDROID_PACKAGE: "com.example.app"
  IOS_PACKAGE: "com.example.app"
  APPLE_ID: "${{APPLE_ID}}"
  APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD: "${{APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD}}"
tasks:
  - name: "Android Build and deploy"
    key: "android"
    workflows:
      - "build"
      - "publish"
    description: "Build and deploy the Android application to playstore."
    jobs:
      - name: "Build Android"
        key: "build"
        description: "Build the Android application using Gradle."
        package_name: "${{ANDROID_PACKAGE}}"
        builder:
          android:
            binary-type: "aab"
            split-per-abi: false
            build-mode: "release"
            generate-debug-symbols: true
      - name: "Publish Android"
        key: "publish"
        description: "Publish the Android application to playstore as internal test track."
        package_name: "${{ANDROID_PACKAGE}}"
        publisher:
          fastlane:
            file-path: "distribution/android/output"
            binary-type: "aab"
            track: "production"
            metadata-path: "distribution/android/metadata"
            track-promote-to: "production"
            json-key: "distribution/fastlane.json"
            skip-upload-images: true
            skip-upload-screenshots: true
            in-app-update-priority: 5
            track-promote-release-status: "completed"
            upload-debug-symbols: true
  - name: "Android Build APKs and deploy"
    key: "android_apk"
    workflows:
      - "build"
      - "publish"
    description: "Build and deploy the Android application to playstore."
    jobs:
      - name: "Build Android"
        key: "build"
        description: "Build the Android application using Gradle."
        package_name: "${{ANDROID_PACKAGE}}"
        builder:
          android:
            binary-type: "apk"
            split-per-abi: true
            build-mode: "release"
            generate-debug-symbols: true
            target-platform: "android-arm"
  - name: "iOS Build and deploy"
    key: "ios"
    description: "Build and deploy the iOS application to app store."
    jobs:
      - name: "Build iOS"
        key: "build"
        description: "Build the iOS application using Xcode."
        package_name: "${{IOS_PACKAGE}}"
        builder:
          ios:
            binary-type: "ipa"
            build-mode: "release"
            pub: true
      - name: "Publish iOS"
        key: "publish"
        description: "Publish the iOS application to app store."
        package_name: "${{IOS_PACKAGE}}"
        publisher:
          xcrun:
            file-path: "distribution/ios/output"
            username: "${{APPLE_ID}}"
            password: "${{APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD}}"
            binary-type: "ipa"

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Commands Overview

The Distribute CLI provides several commands to manage your app distribution process.

• distribute init
• distribute build
• distribute publish
• distribute run
• distribute create

distribute init

Initializes the project and creates a starter configuration.

Example

distribute init --package-name=com.example.app

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distribute build <platform>

Builds the app for the specified platform (android or ios).

Example

distribute build android

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distribute publish <publisher>

Publishes the built app using the specified publisher (e.g., firebase, fastlane).

Example

distribute publish fastlane

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distribute run

Executes all tasks and jobs defined in distribution.yaml.

Example

distribute run

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distribute create

Creates new tasks or jobs in distribution.yaml.

Example: Create a Task

distribute create task --name="My Task" --key=my_task --description="Description here"

Example: Create a Builder Job

distribute create job builder -t my_task -n "Build Android" -k build_android -P android

Example: Create a Publisher Job

distribute create job publisher -t my_task -n "Publish Android" -k publish_android -T fastlane

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Variable Substitution

Use ${{KEY}} in distribution.yaml to reference environment variables or custom variables defined in the variables section.

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Logging

All logs are saved to distribution.log in the project root for troubleshooting and auditing.

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Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open issues or pull requests to help improve Distribute CLI.

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License

MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.