build

Build Android and iOS apps with automatic configuration detection.

Synopsis

mobilectl build [platform] [flavor] [type] [options]

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description	Values
platform	No	Target platform	android, ios, all
flavor	No	Build flavor	production, staging, etc.
type	No	Build type	debug, release

Options

Option	Short	Description
--verbose	-v	Verbose output with detailed logs
--dry-run		Preview build configuration without building

Basic Usage

Auto-Detection

# Auto-detect platform, flavor, and type
mobilectl build

# Build Android with defaults
mobilectl build android

# Build iOS with defaults
mobilectl build ios

# Build both platforms
mobilectl build all

Specific Build

# Android release build
mobilectl build android release

# iOS production release
mobilectl build ios production release

# Android staging debug
mobilectl build android staging debug

Platform-Specific Builds

Android

Build Android APK or AAB files.

# Default build (uses defaultType from config)
mobilectl build android

# Release build
mobilectl build android release

# Specific flavor and type
mobilectl build android production release

What It Does

1. Detects Android project structure
2. Configures Gradle based on flavor and type
3. Runs ./gradlew bundle<Flavor><Type>
4. Signs APK/AAB with configured keystore
5. Outputs artifact location

Output

Building Android app...

Platform: Android
Flavor: production
Type: release
Signing: Enabled

Running: ./gradlew bundleProductionRelease

Build successful!

Output: android/app/build/outputs/apk/production/release/app-production-release.apk
Size: 24.5 MB
Duration: 1m 23s

iOS

Build iOS IPA files.

# Default build
mobilectl build ios

# Release build
mobilectl build ios release

# Specific configuration
mobilectl build ios production release

What It Does

1. Detects Xcode project/workspace
2. Configures build settings
3. Runs xcodebuild with configured scheme
4. Archives and exports IPA
5. Signs with provisioning profile
6. Outputs artifact location

Output

Building iOS app...

Platform: iOS
Scheme: Runner
Configuration: Release
Signing: Enabled

Running: xcodebuild -scheme Runner -configuration Release

Build successful!

Output: build/ios/iphoneos/Runner.app
Size: 18.2 MB
Duration: 2m 15s

Multi-Platform

Build both Android and iOS in sequence:

mobilectl build all

Output:

Building for all platforms...

[1/2] Building Android...
✓ Android build successful (1m 23s)

[2/2] Building iOS...
✓ iOS build successful (2m 15s)

All builds completed successfully!
Total duration: 3m 38s

Flavors

Build flavors represent different app variants (environments, brands, etc.).

Android Flavors

Defined in build.gradle:

android {
    flavorDimensions "environment"
    productFlavors {
        production {
            dimension "environment"
            applicationIdSuffix ""
        }
        staging {
            dimension "environment"
            applicationIdSuffix ".staging"
        }
        development {
            dimension "environment"
            applicationIdSuffix ".dev"
        }
    }
}

Build specific flavor:

mobilectl build android production release
mobilectl build android staging debug
mobilectl build android development debug

iOS Schemes

Defined in Xcode as schemes:

# Use specific scheme
mobilectl build ios ProductionRelease

Configure in mobileops.yaml:

build:
  ios:
    scheme: Production
    configuration: Release

Build Types

Android Build Types

Type	Description	Use Case
debug	Debuggable, not optimized	Development
release	Optimized, signed	Production

iOS Configurations

Configuration	Description	Use Case
Debug	Debuggable, not optimized	Development
Release	Optimized, signed	Production

Configuration

Configure builds in mobileops.yaml:

build:
  android:
    enabled: true
    defaultFlavor: production
    defaultType: release
    flavors:
      - production
      - staging
      - development
    keyStore: release.keystore
    keyAlias: my-app-key
    keyPassword: ${MOBILECTL_KEY_PASSWORD}
    storePassword: ${MOBILECTL_STORE_PASSWORD}

  ios:
    enabled: true
    projectPath: .
    scheme: Runner
    configuration: Release
    codeSignIdentity: "iPhone Distribution"
    provisioningProfile: "path/to/profile.mobileprovision"

See full configuration reference →

Code Signing

Android Signing

Keystore Configuration

build:
  android:
    keyStore: release.keystore
    keyAlias: my-app-key
    keyPassword: ${MOBILECTL_KEY_PASSWORD}
    storePassword: ${MOBILECTL_STORE_PASSWORD}

Generate Keystore

keytool -genkey -v -keystore release.keystore \
  -alias my-app-key \
  -keyalg RSA \
  -keysize 2048 \
  -validity 10000

Environment Variables

export MOBILECTL_KEY_PASSWORD="your_key_password"
export MOBILECTL_STORE_PASSWORD="your_store_password"

iOS Signing

Code Signing Configuration

build:
  ios:
    codeSignIdentity: "iPhone Distribution"
    provisioningProfile: "path/to/profile.mobileprovision"

Automatic Signing (Xcode 8+)

Let Xcode handle signing:

build:
  ios:
    automaticSigning: true
    teamId: "XXXXXXXXXX"

Output Artifacts

Android

APK (Android Package)

android/app/build/outputs/apk/production/release/app-production-release.apk

Used for:

• Manual installation
• Direct distribution
• Testing

AAB (Android App Bundle)

android/app/build/outputs/bundle/production/release/app-production-release.aab

Used for:

• Google Play Store
• Optimized delivery

iOS

APP (iOS Application)

build/ios/iphoneos/Runner.app

Used for:

• Simulator testing
• Device installation

IPA (iOS App Store Package)

build/ios/iphoneos/Runner.ipa

Used for:

• App Store distribution
• TestFlight
• Enterprise distribution

Dry Run

Preview build configuration without actually building:

mobilectl build android --dry-run

Output:

Dry run mode - no builds will be executed

Build Configuration:
  Platform: Android
  Flavor: production
  Type: release
  Signing: Enabled
  Keystore: release.keystore

Would execute:
  ./gradlew bundleProductionRelease

Output would be:
  android/app/build/outputs/apk/production/release/app-production-release.apk

Verbose Mode

Get detailed build logs:

mobilectl build android --verbose

Output includes:

• Full Gradle output
• Dependency resolution
• Compilation steps
• Signing process
• Performance metrics

Build Performance

Cache Management

MobileCtl preserves Gradle/Xcode caches for faster builds.

Incremental Builds

Only changed files are recompiled:

# First build: 2m 30s
mobilectl build android

# Incremental build: 45s
mobilectl build android

Clean Build

Force clean build:

# Android
cd android && ./gradlew clean
mobilectl build android

# iOS
rm -rf build/ios
mobilectl build ios

Error Handling

Build Failed

Error: Android build failed
Exit code: 1

Build log:
  > Task :app:compileProductionReleaseKotlin FAILED

  Error: Unresolved reference: someFunction

Suggestion: Check your code for compilation errors
Full logs: android/app/build/reports/

Signing Failed

Error: Code signing failed
Reason: Keystore not found

Path: release.keystore

Suggestions:
  1. Check keystore path in mobileops.yaml
  2. Generate keystore: keytool -genkey -v -keystore release.keystore
  3. Set environment variables: MOBILECTL_KEY_PASSWORD, MOBILECTL_STORE_PASSWORD

Platform Not Detected

Error: Platform not detected

Suggestions:
  1. Ensure you're in a mobile project directory
  2. Check for android/ or ios/ directories
  3. Specify platform explicitly: mobilectl build android

Integration with Other Commands

Build Before Deploy

# Manual
mobilectl build all
mobilectl deploy --all-flavors

# Automatic (deploy builds if needed)
mobilectl deploy --all-flavors

Skip Build During Deploy

# Use existing artifacts
mobilectl deploy --skip-build

Advanced Usage

Multiple Flavors

Build all flavors sequentially:

for flavor in production staging development; do
  mobilectl build android $flavor release
done

Custom Output Directory

Configure in build settings:

build:
  android:
    outputDir: build/custom/android
  ios:
    outputDir: build/custom/ios

Build Hooks (Coming Soon)

build:
  hooks:
    preBuild: ./scripts/pre-build.sh
    postBuild: ./scripts/post-build.sh

Troubleshooting

Gradle Errors

# Clean Gradle cache
cd android
./gradlew clean
rm -rf .gradle build

# Rebuild
mobilectl build android

Xcode Errors

# Clean Xcode build
rm -rf build/ios
rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData

# Rebuild
mobilectl build ios

Memory Issues

Increase heap size:

// android/gradle.properties
org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4096m

Slow Builds

Enable parallel builds:

// android/gradle.properties
org.gradle.parallel=true
org.gradle.caching=true

Best Practices

1. Use Flavors for Environments

mobilectl build android development debug      # Dev
mobilectl build android staging release        # Staging
mobilectl build android production release     # Production

2. Store Signing Credentials Securely

# Use environment variables
export MOBILECTL_KEY_PASSWORD="..."
export MOBILECTL_STORE_PASSWORD="..."

# Never commit credentials to git
echo ".env" >> .gitignore

3. Test Builds Locally

# Preview first
mobilectl build android --dry-run

# Then build
mobilectl build android

4. Use CI/CD for Production

# .github/workflows/build.yml
- name: Build APK
  run: mobilectl build android production release --verbose

See Also

• Configuration: Build
• Deploy Command
• Build Automation Guide
• CI/CD Integration