iOS Builds

This guide covers building NativeScript apps for iPhone, iPad, and the App Store.

Distribution Types

App Store

For App Store and TestFlight distribution:

norrix build ios release appstore

Ad Hoc

For testing on registered devices:

norrix build ios release adhoc

Enterprise

For in-house enterprise distribution:

norrix build ios release enterprise --team-id ABC123XYZ0

Code Signing Options

Option 1: Manual Certificates

Provide your own .p12 certificate and provisioning profile:

norrix build ios release appstore \
  --p12 ./certs/distribution.p12 \
  --p12-password $P12_PASSWORD \
  --profile ./profiles/AppStore.mobileprovision

Requirements:

• .p12 certificate exported from Keychain
• .mobileprovision profile from Apple Developer Portal
• Certificate password

Option 2: App Store Connect API

Use the App Store Connect API for automatic certificate and profile management:

norrix build ios release appstore \
  --asc-key-id ABC123DEF4 \
  --asc-issuer-id 12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012 \
  --asc-key ./AuthKey_ABC123.p8

Setup:

1. Go to App Store Connect → Users and Access → Keys 
2. Create a new API Key with Admin access
3. Download the .p8 file (only downloadable once)
4. Note the Key ID and Issuer ID

Benefits:

• No manual certificate management
• Automatic profile generation
• Simplified CI/CD setup

Team ID

Your Apple Developer Team ID is required for signing.

Find your Team ID:

1. Go to Apple Developer Portal 
2. Navigate to Membership
3. Copy the Team ID (10 alphanumeric characters)

Provide via CLI:

norrix build ios release appstore --team-id ABC123XYZ0

Or in config:

// norrix.config.ts
export default defineConfig({
  ios: {
    teamId: 'ABC123XYZ0',
  },
});

Configuration File

Store iOS settings in norrix.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from '@norrix/cli';
 
export default defineConfig({
  ios: {
    teamId: 'ABC123XYZ0',
    distributionType: 'appstore',
 
    // Option 1: Manual certificates
    p12Path: './certs/distribution.p12',
    provisioningProfilePath: './profiles/AppStore.mobileprovision',
 
    // Option 2: ASC API (alternative)
    // ascApiKeyId: 'ABC123DEF4',
    // ascIssuerId: '12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012',
    // ascPrivateKeyPath: './AuthKey.p8',
  },
});

Build Artifacts

Successful iOS builds produce:

Artifacts are uploaded to S3 and available in the dashboard.

Debug Builds

For development and debugging:

norrix build ios debug

Debug builds:

• Include debug symbols
• Enable debugging features
• Faster build times

Version and Build Number

Specify Version

norrix build ios release appstore --version 1.2.0

Specify Build Number

norrix build ios release appstore --build-number 42

Auto-Increment

If --build-number is omitted, Norrix automatically increments based on previous builds for the project.

Troubleshooting

Code Signing Failed

• Verify Team ID matches your Apple Developer account
• Check certificate hasn’t expired
• Ensure provisioning profile matches bundle ID
• Confirm profile includes target device (for Ad Hoc)

ASC API Errors

• Verify Key ID and Issuer ID are correct
• Confirm .p8 file hasn’t been modified
• Check API Key has Admin access

Build Number Conflicts

• Use --build-number to set explicitly
• Each App Store build needs a unique build number
• Build numbers must only increase