In this section will guide you through setting up a CI/CD pipeline for your Flutter app, from prerequisites to the first automated build.
Prerequisites
Before setting up CI/CD, ensure you have:
- A Flutter project with a Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, etc.).
- A CI/CD service (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitrise, Codemagic, etc.).
- Accounts for Google Play Console (Android) and App Store Connect (iOS) if deploying to production.
- API keys, signing certificates, and Firebase/App Store credentials for authentication.
Setting Up a CI/CD Tool
Choose a CI/CD provider based on your needs:
| CI/CD Tool |
Best For |
Free Plan Available? |
| GitHub Actions |
GitHub-hosted repos, easy setup |
✅ |
| GitLab CI/CD |
GitLab repositories |
✅ |
| Bitrise |
No-code CI/CD for mobile apps |
✅ |
| Codemagic |
Flutter-first CI/CD |
✅ |
Basic CI/CD Pipeline Overview
A typical CI/CD pipeline for Flutter includes:
- Code Checkout → Pulls the latest changes from the repository.
- Environment Setup → Installs Flutter, dependencies, and required tools.
- Static Analysis & Testing → Runs
flutter analyze and flutter test.
- Build Generation → Creates APK, AAB, or IPA files for deployment.
- Code Signing → Signs apps for release (required for iOS and Android Play Store).
- Deployment → Publishes the app to Firebase App Distribution, Play Store, or TestFlight.
Access and Authentication
Once you have installed the application, you can access it by following these steps: