Automating CodePush Releases with DeployPulse Using GitHub Actions

Managing over-the-air (OTA) updates for React Native apps can be time-consuming, but DeployPulse and GitHub Actions make it seamless. In this guide, we'll walk through a GitHub Action workflow that automates the release process of a CodePush update to DeployPulse.

📌 What This GitHub Action Does

This workflow:

  1. Runs on push to main or dev branches.
  2. Triggers when changes occur inside the app/ directory.
  3. Clones and sets up the CodePush CLI (code-push-standalone).
  4. Authenticates with DeployPulse using a secret API key.
  5. Reads the current app version from package.json.
  6. Installs dependencies before releasing the update.
  7. Deploys a CodePush release targeting either the production or development environment.

🛠 GitHub Action YAML Breakdown

Let's go step by step through the workflow.

1️⃣ Trigger the Workflow on Code Changes

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - dev
    paths:
      - 'app/**'

This ensures the workflow only runs when changes are pushed to main or dev inside the app/ directory. This assumes that your app code is stored in the app/ directory. If your app code is stored elsewhere, update the paths accordingly.

2️⃣ Set the Deployment Environment

environment: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'production' || 'dev' }}

This dynamically sets the deployment environment:

  • If the branch is main → use production.
  • Otherwise, use dev.

3️⃣ Checkout the Repository

- name: Checkout repository
  uses: actions/checkout@v4

This retrieves the latest version of the code from GitHub.

4️⃣ Set Up Node.js

- name: Set up Node.js
  uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: 23

This ensures that Node.js 23 is installed for running the CLI and dependencies.

5️⃣ Clone and Build the CodePush CLI

- name: Clone Code Push CLI
  run: |
    git clone https://github.com/microsoft/code-push-server code-push-server
    cd code-push-server/cli
    npm install
    npm run build
    npm install -g

Since DeployPulse is based on CodePush, we need to clone and build the CLI from Microsoft's repository.

6️⃣ Verify the CodePush CLI

- name: Test Code Push CLI
  run: code-push-standalone --version

This ensures that the CLI is installed and ready to use.

7️⃣ Authenticate with DeployPulse

- name: Authenticate with DeployPulse
  continue-on-error: true
  run: |
    code-push-standalone login --key ${{ secrets.DEPLOYPULSE_ACCESS_TOKEN }} https://apps.deploypulse.io

🔐 Authentication Details:

  • DEPLOYPULSE_ACCESS_TOKEN: Stored as a GitHub Secret for security.

8️⃣ Read the Current App Version

- name: Read Current Version
  working-directory: ./app
  run: |
    TARGET_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
    echo "TARGET_VERSION=$TARGET_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
    echo "Deploying CodePush for version: $TARGET_VERSION"

This reads the current version from package.json and saves it as an environment variable (TARGET_VERSION).

9️⃣ Install App Dependencies

- name: Install Dependencies
  working-directory: ./app
  run: npm install

This ensures that all necessary npm dependencies are installed.

🔟 Release the Update to DeployPulse

- name: Release Update via CodePush
  working-directory: ./app
  env:
    DEPLOYMENT: ${{ vars.DEPLOYMENT }}
    APP_NAME: ${{ vars.APP_NAME }}
  run: |
      code-push-standalone release-react \
      "$APP_NAME" ios \
      -d "$DEPLOYMENT" \
      --mandatory \
      --targetBinaryVersion "$TARGET_VERSION" \
      --description "CodePush Release for Version $TARGET_VERSION" \
      --disabled true

🚀 This step deploys the OTA update!

  • Uses code-push-standalone release-react to release the update.
  • APP_NAME and DEPLOYMENT are retrieved from GitHub Environment Variables.
  • The release is mandatory (--mandatory), ensuring all users receive it.
  • --disabled true allows pre-disabling the release if needed. If you would like to publish immediately, remove this flag.

✅ Why This GitHub Action is Useful

✔ Automates OTA updates to DeployPulse. ✔ Ensures updates are version-controlled via package.json. ✔ Uses secure authentication with GitHub Secrets. ✔ Handles multiple environments (dev & production) dynamically. ✔ Only triggers when necessary (app/ directory changes).

🔥 Conclusion

This GitHub Action streamlines CodePush updates by integrating directly with DeployPulse. With zero manual effort, updates can be deployed to iOS and Android users seamlessly.

👉 Need to learn more? Check out the DeployPulse Docs. 🚀

📚 Full YAML

name: Deploy CodePush Update via DeployPulse

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
      - dev
    paths:
      - 'app/**'

jobs:
  release:
    environment: ${{github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'production' || 'dev'}}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 23

      - name: Clone Code Push CLI
        run: |
          git clone https://github.com/microsoft/code-push-server code-push-server
          cd code-push-server/cli
          npm install
          npm run build
          npm install -g

      - name: Test Code Push CLI
        run: code-push-standalone --version

      - name: Authenticate with DeployPulse
        continue-on-error: true
        run: |
          code-push-standalone login --key ${{ secrets.DEPLOYPULSE_ACCESS_TOKEN }} https://apps.deploypulse.io

      - name: Read Current Version
        working-directory: ./app
        run: |
          TARGET_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
          echo "TARGET_VERSION=$TARGET_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
          echo "Deploying CodePush for version: $TARGET_VERSION"

      - name: Install Dependencies
        working-directory: ./app
        run: npm install

      - name: Release Update via CodePush
        working-directory: ./app
        env:
          DEPLOYMENT: ${{ vars.DEPLOYMENT }}
          APP_NAME: ${{ vars.APP_NAME }}
        run: |
            code-push-standalone release-react \
            "$APP_NAME" ios \
            -d "$DEPLOYMENT" \
            --mandatory \
            --targetBinaryVersion "$TARGET_VERSION" \
            --description "CodePush Release for Version $TARGET_VERSION" \
            --disabled true