🚀 Master Flutter CI/CD: Automate App Deployment with GitHub Actions

Are you tired of manually deploying your Flutter apps every time you make a change? It’s time to level up your CI/CD game with GitHub Actions! 💡

GitHub Actions offers a seamless way to automate your Flutter app’s build, test, and deployment processes for both Android and iOS, saving you time and effort. With just a few lines of YAML, you can create workflows that:

✅ Automatically build your Flutter app when you push to a specific branch.
✅ Run tests to ensure your app remains rock solid.
✅ Deploy APKs to Google Play Store or TestFlight for iOS with minimal manual intervention.

Why Automate Deployment?

Manual deployment is prone to errors, repetitive, and time-consuming. Automation ensures:

• Consistency: Every build follows the same steps, leaving no room for missed configurations.
• Speed: Focus on coding while GitHub Actions handles deployment.
• Confidence: Continuous testing ensures every release is bug-free.

Setting Up GitHub Actions for Flutter

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up GitHub Actions for your Flutter app:

1. Create a Workflow File

Navigate to your project repository and create the directory .github/workflows/. Inside this directory, create a file named deploy.yml. This file will define the steps for automating your app deployment.

2. Define Workflow Triggers

Specify when the workflow should run, for example, on a push to the main branch:

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

This ensures the workflow runs whenever new changes are pushed to the main branch.

3. Setup Flutter Environment

Install and configure Flutter in your workflow using the subosito/flutter-action:

- name: Setup Flutter
  uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
  with:
    flutter-version: 'stable'

4. Install Dependencies
Ensure all required packages are fetched:

- name: Install Dependencies
  run: flutter pub get

5. Run Tests
Add a step to execute tests and validate the app:

- name: Run Tests
  run: flutter test

6. Build the App
Build the APK (For Android):

- name: Build APK
  run: flutter build apk

But in most cases we need Signed APK.
For Signed APK:

- name: Decode Keystore File
  run: echo "${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE }}" | base64 --decode > android/app/keystore.jks

- name: Decode Keystore Credentials
  run: |
    echo "${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_ALIAS }}" | base64 --decode > keystore_alias.txt
    echo "${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}" | base64 --decode > keystore_password.txt
    echo "${{ secrets.KEY_PASSWORD }}" | base64 --decode > key_password.txt

- name: Build Signed APK
  run: |
    flutter build apk --release \
      --dart-define=KEYSTORE_PATH=android/app/keystore.jks \
      --dart-define=KEYSTORE_ALIAS=$(cat keystore_alias.txt) \
      --dart-define=KEYSTORE_PASSWORD=$(cat keystore_password.txt) \
      --dart-define=KEY_PASSWORD=$(cat key_password.txt)

For iOS apps:

- name: Build iOS
  run: flutter build ios --no-codesign

7. Deploy Automatically
Use deployment tools or scripts to upload your build to the respective platforms. Here’s an example for deploying to Google Play:

- name: Deploy to Google Play
  uses: r0adkll/upload-google-play@v1
  with:
    serviceAccountJson: ${{ secrets.GOOGLE_PLAY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT }}
    packageName: com.example.yourapp
    releaseFiles: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk

For iOS, you can use fastlane or similar tools to deploy to TestFlight. I'll write another post about iOS deployments in depth.

Full Sample Workflow

Here’s a complete workflow example for Flutter deployment with a signed APK and Base64-encoded secrets:

name: Flutter Deployment

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build-and-deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout Repository
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Setup Flutter
      uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
      with:
        flutter-version: 'stable'

    - name: Install Dependencies
      run: flutter pub get

    - name: Run Tests
      run: flutter test

    - name: Decode Keystore File
      run: echo "${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE }}" | base64 --decode > android/app/keystore.jks

    - name: Decode Keystore Credentials
      run: |
        echo "${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_ALIAS }}" | base64 --decode > keystore_alias.txt
        echo "${{ secrets.KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}" | base64 --decode > keystore_password.txt
        echo "${{ secrets.KEY_PASSWORD }}" | base64 --decode > key_password.txt

    - name: Build Signed APK
      run: |
        flutter build apk --release \
          --dart-define=KEYSTORE_PATH=android/app/keystore.jks \
          --dart-define=KEYSTORE_ALIAS=$(cat keystore_alias.txt) \
          --dart-define=KEYSTORE_PASSWORD=$(cat keystore_password.txt) \
          --dart-define=KEY_PASSWORD=$(cat key_password.txt)

    - name: Deploy to Google Play
      uses: r0adkll/upload-google-play@v1
      with:
        serviceAccountJson: ${{ secrets.GOOGLE_PLAY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT }}
        packageName: com.example.yourapp
        releaseFiles: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk

Wrapping Up

By automating Flutter app deployment with GitHub Actions, ensuring signed APKs, and securely storing secrets in Base64, you save valuable time and minimize errors. A solid CI/CD pipeline ensures every release is reliable and reaches your users faster. 🌟

What challenges have you faced while setting up GitHub Actions? Let us know in the comments below! 💬