Expo Setup

@deploypulseio/react-native-code-push includes an Expo config plugin that configures all native files automatically during expo prebuild / eas build. No manual Xcode or Android Studio changes required.

Requirements: Expo SDK 52+, React Native 0.76+. See Compatibility for the full matrix, including Expo Go and the expo-updates alternative to this guide.

Create the apps

On the CodePush protocol each platform is its own app with its own keys, so create two:

dpctl app add MyApp-iOS --platform expo-cng-ios
dpctl app add MyApp-Android --platform expo-cng-android

Each one comes with Production and Staging deployments. Both apps are configured from the one app.json below: the iOS app's key goes in the ios block, the Android app's in the android block.

Configure app.json

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      [
        "@deploypulseio/react-native-code-push",
        {
          "ios": {
            "CodePushDeploymentKey": "YOUR_IOS_KEY"
          },
          "android": {
            "CodePushDeploymentKey": "YOUR_ANDROID_KEY"
          }
        }
      ]
    ]
  }
}

The server URL defaults to https://apps.deploypulse.io, so you only supply your deployment keys. Both the ios and android blocks still need to be present: the plugin only configures a platform it is given a block for, so omitting one means that platform is built without CodePush at all.

Retrieve each app's keys. They are hidden unless you ask for them:

dpctl deployment ls MyApp-iOS --displayKeys
dpctl deployment ls MyApp-Android --displayKeys

Use the Production key for builds you ship, and Staging for builds you test on.

Run prebuild

npx expo prebuild
# or let EAS Build handle it automatically

What the plugin configures

iOS (Info.plist):

• CodePushDeploymentKey
• CodePushServerURL = the value you set above

iOS (AppDelegate):

• Adds import CodePush
• Replaces bundleURL() with CodePush-aware version

Android (strings.xml):

• CodePushDeploymentKey
• CodePushServerUrl = the value you set above (note the lower-case Url on Android)

Android (MainApplication.kt):

• Adds CodePush imports
• Initializes CodePush in onCreate()
• Adds getJSBundleFile() override

Android (app/build.gradle):

• Appends apply from: ".../codepush.gradle"

Release an update

An Expo app on the CodePush SDK releases like any React Native app: with dpctl release-react, one app per platform. Run it from the project folder after npx expo prebuild:

dpctl release-react MyApp-iOS ios -d Production
dpctl release-react MyApp-Android android -d Production

dpctl reads the app version and whether Hermes is on from the native projects prebuild generates. If you don't run prebuild locally, for example because EAS Build does it for you, there is nothing to read, so pass both yourself:

dpctl release-react MyApp-iOS ios -d Production --targetBinaryVersion 1.0.0 --useHermes

--targetBinaryVersion is the version from your app config. Leave --useHermes off if the app uses JavaScriptCore ("jsEngine": "jsc"). If your entry file isn't index.js, pass it with --entryFile. Hermes compilation needs dpctl 1.2.0 or later.

Point at a different server

Set serverUrl once at the top level, or CodePushServerURL per platform when the two differ. A per-platform value wins over the top-level one:

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      ["@deploypulseio/react-native-code-push", {
        "serverUrl": "https://your-server.example.com",
        "ios": {
          "CodePushDeploymentKey": "YOUR_IOS_KEY"
        },
        "android": {
          "CodePushDeploymentKey": "YOUR_ANDROID_KEY"
        }
      }]
    ]
  }
}

Next step

Return to the React Native SDK page for usage and notifyAppReady instructions.