Mobile CI/CD Workflows

This guide provides detailed information about the GitHub Actions workflows that power the CI/CD pipeline for the PersiaNation mobile application.

Workflow Overview

The mobile app uses several GitHub Actions workflows to ensure code quality, automate builds, and streamline releases:

Workflow	Trigger	Purpose	Duration
test.yml	Push, PR	Unit & integration tests	~3-5 min
lint-ts.yml	Push, PR	TypeScript linting	~2-3 min
type-check.yml	Push, PR	TypeScript type checking	~1-2 min
e2e-android.yml	Push, PR	End-to-end testing	~10-15 min
preview.yml	Hotfix branch	Preview builds & OTA updates	~5-8 min
new-github-release.yml	Git tags	GitHub releases	~1-2 min

Quality Assurance Workflows

1. TypeScript Type Checking (type-check.yml)

Purpose: Ensures type safety across the entire codebase.

name: Type Check
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  type-check:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 18.x
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
        with:
          version: latest
      - run: pnpm install
      - run: pnpm type-check

What it checks:

• TypeScript compilation errors
• Type mismatches and inconsistencies
• Missing type definitions
• Interface compatibility

2. Linting (lint-ts.yml)

Purpose: Enforces code style and catches common issues.

name: Lint TypeScript
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  lint:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - run: pnpm install
      - run: pnpm lint

What it checks:

• ESLint rule violations
• Code formatting consistency
• Import/export issues
• Unused variables and imports
• React/React Native specific issues

3. Unit & Integration Tests (test.yml)

Purpose: Runs the complete test suite to ensure functionality.

name: Test
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - run: pnpm install
      - run: pnpm test

What it tests:

• Component rendering and behavior
• Utility function correctness
• API integration logic
• Navigation flows
• State management

4. End-to-End Testing (e2e-android.yml)

Purpose: Tests complete user workflows on Android emulator.

name: E2E Android
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  e2e-android:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - name: Setup Android SDK
        uses: android-actions/setup-android@v2
      - name: Run E2E tests
        run: pnpm e2e:android

What it tests:

• Complete user registration flow
• Authentication and login
• Core app navigation
• Critical user interactions
• App performance under load

Build & Deployment Workflows

1. Preview Builds (preview.yml)

Purpose: Creates quick preview builds for testing hotfixes and urgent changes.

name: Preview
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [hotfix]
  push:
    branches: [hotfix]

jobs:
  update:
    name: EAS Update
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Check for EXPO_TOKEN
        run: |
          if [ -z "${{ secrets.EXPO_TOKEN }}" ]; then
            echo "EXPO_TOKEN secret required"
            exit 1
          fi

      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 18.x
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
        with:
          version: latest
      - uses: expo/expo-github-action@v8
        with:
          eas-version: latest
          token: ${{ secrets.EXPO_TOKEN }}

      - run: pnpm install
      - name: Create preview
        uses: expo/expo-github-action/preview@v8
        with:
          command: eas update --auto

Features:

• Triggers on hotfix branch changes
• Creates EAS Update for immediate testing
• Posts preview QR code in PR comments
• Uses staging channel for safe testing
• Automatic deployment without manual intervention

2. GitHub Release Creation (new-github-release.yml)

Purpose: Automatically creates GitHub releases when version tags are pushed.

name: New GitHub Release
on:
  push:
    tags: ["*"]

jobs:
  release:
    name: New GitHub Release
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
      - uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
        with:
          generateReleaseNotes: true
          draft: false

Features:

• Triggered by any git tag push
• Automatically generates release notes from commits
• Creates public GitHub release
• Links to build artifacts and changelogs

Workflow Configuration

Required Secrets

Configure these secrets in your GitHub repository settings:

# Repository Settings > Secrets and Variables > Actions

EXPO_TOKEN                    # Expo account authentication token
GOOGLE_SERVICES_JSON         # Android Google Services configuration
APPLE_TEAM_ID               # iOS development team identifier
ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD   # Android app signing keystore password
ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS           # Android signing key alias
ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD        # Android signing key password

Environment Variables

# Automatically set by workflows
GITHUB_TOKEN                # GitHub API access (auto-provided)
RUNNER_OS                   # Operating system (ubuntu-latest)
NODE_VERSION               # Node.js version (18.x)
PNPM_VERSION              # Package manager version (latest)

Workflow Triggers

Push Triggers

# Runs on every push to any branch
on: [push]

# Runs on push to specific branches
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, staging, develop]

# Runs on tag pushes
on:
  push:
    tags: ['v*', 'release/*']

Pull Request Triggers

# Runs on PR creation and updates
on: [pull_request]

# Runs on PR to specific branches
on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, staging]
    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]

Manual Triggers

# Allows manual workflow execution
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: "Environment to deploy to"
        required: true
        default: "staging"
        type: choice
        options:
          - staging
          - production

Workflow Optimization

Caching Strategies

# Cache node_modules for faster installs
- name: Cache dependencies
  uses: actions/cache@v3
  with:
    path: ~/.pnpm-store
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-pnpm-${{ hashFiles('**/pnpm-lock.yaml') }}
    restore-keys: |
      ${{ runner.os }}-pnpm-

# Cache Expo CLI and tools
- name: Cache Expo
  uses: actions/cache@v3
  with:
    path: ~/.expo
    key: ${{ runner.os }}-expo-${{ hashFiles('**/app.config.ts') }}

Parallel Job Execution

jobs:
  test:
    strategy:
      matrix:
        platform: [ios, android]
        environment: [staging, production]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Test ${{ matrix.platform }} on ${{ matrix.environment }}
        run: pnpm test:${{ matrix.platform }}

Conditional Execution

# Only run on specific file changes
- name: Run tests
  if: contains(github.event.head_commit.modified, 'src/')
  run: pnpm test

# Skip workflows on documentation changes
- name: Check for docs changes
  if: "!contains(github.event.head_commit.message, '[skip ci]')"
  run: pnpm build

Monitoring & Debugging

Workflow Status Monitoring

# View workflow runs
gh run list --workflow="test.yml"

# Get specific run details
gh run view <run-id>

# Download workflow logs
gh run download <run-id>

Common Workflow Issues

1. Build Timeouts

# Increase timeout for long-running jobs
jobs:
  build:
    timeout-minutes: 30 # Default is 6 hours
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

2. Secret Access Issues

# Debug secret availability
- name: Check secrets
  run: |
    if [ -z "${{ secrets.EXPO_TOKEN }}" ]; then
      echo "EXPO_TOKEN not available"
      exit 1
    fi

3. Dependency Installation Failures

# Retry failed installations
- name: Install dependencies
  run: |
    for i in {1..3}; do
      pnpm install && break || sleep 15
    done

Workflow Performance Metrics

Metric	Target	Typical
Type Check	< 2 min	1.5 min
Linting	< 3 min	2.5 min
Unit Tests	< 5 min	4 min
E2E Tests	< 15 min	12 min
EAS Update	< 8 min	6 min

Best Practices

1. Workflow Organization

• Keep workflows focused on single responsibilities
• Use reusable actions for common tasks
• Organize jobs logically with clear dependencies
• Use meaningful names and descriptions

2. Security

• Never log sensitive information
• Use secrets for all credentials
• Limit workflow permissions to minimum required
• Regularly rotate authentication tokens

3. Performance

• Cache dependencies and build artifacts
• Use matrix builds for parallel execution
• Skip unnecessary jobs based on file changes
• Optimize Docker image usage

4. Reliability

• Add retry logic for flaky operations
• Use appropriate timeouts
• Handle edge cases gracefully
• Monitor workflow success rates

Advanced Workflows

Custom EAS Build Workflow

name: Custom EAS Build
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      platform:
        type: choice
        options: [ios, android, all]
      profile:
        type: choice
        options: [development, staging, production]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - uses: expo/expo-github-action@v8
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.EXPO_TOKEN }}

      - run: pnpm install
      - name: Build app
        run: |
          eas build \
            --platform ${{ github.event.inputs.platform }} \
            --profile ${{ github.event.inputs.profile }} \
            --non-interactive

Automated Store Submission

name: Store Submission
on:
  release:
    types: [published]

jobs:
  submit:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: expo/expo-github-action@v8
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.EXPO_TOKEN }}

      - name: Submit to stores
        run: |
          eas submit \
            --platform all \
            --profile production \
            --latest \
            --non-interactive

Related Documentation

• Mobile App Release & CI/CD: Complete release process guide
• GitHub Actions Documentation: Official GitHub Actions docs
• Expo GitHub Actions: Expo-specific workflow examples