CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidapkreact-native
kAy_4337270
kAy_4337270

Reputation: 2501

Build and Install unsigned apk on device without the development server?

As I am new in react-native so if there is anything wrong in steps let me know.

I have build a react native android app using the command as per documentation

react-native android

while running on device the following command was used

react-native run-android

which gives me the output of 2 apk files in my projectfolder/android/app/build/outputs/apk

enter image description here

now when I use to install this apk after the installation it ask for an development server to connect to bundle the JS. But my requirement is that the user doesn't have to struggle with the development server just he needs to install the apk and everything is done.

Have gone through some stackoverflow Questions but not helpful to build unsigned apk which doesn't require development server.

Can you guys help me finding the way that how to build and unsigned apk in react native?

Upvotes: 222

Views: 291402

Answers (19)

SanthoshKumar
SanthoshKumar

Reputation: 39

Apk generate without keystore in vscode

  1. npx react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug
  2. cd android
  3. ./gradlew assembleDebug
  4. ./gradlew assembleRelease

check folder: android/app/build/outputs/apk/release->.apk

Upvotes: 1

findhumane
findhumane

Reputation: 11

I wanted to profile my app from Android Studio which builds a debug build and I hit the issue of no packaged bundle. I could build a release build with <profileable android:shell="true"/> and attach the profiler after starting, but I needed specifically to profile my app's startup so there wasn't enough time to attach and I couldn't figure out how to launch a release build with the profiler. So I needed a way to build the debug build with the bundle. I'm running Expo 50 and React Native 0.73.4 and instead of the following in build.gradle:

project.ext.react = [
    enableHermes: false,  // clean and rebuild if changing
    devDisabledInDev: true, // Disable dev server in dev release
    bundleInDebug: true, // add bundle to dev apk
]

I had to use debuggableVariants:

react {
    debuggableVariants = []
}

If editing the build.gradle file in Android Studio, after adding the above line and saving, click Sync Now in the top right. Then I could connect my phone and Run } Profile 'app' with complete data.

Upvotes: 1

Adri
Adri

Reputation: 162

Happened to me as well, apparently i forgot to import the variable

Upvotes: 0

user9088454
user9088454

Reputation: 1122

Generate debug APK without dev-server

If you want to generate a debug APK (for testing purposes) that can run without the development server.

  1. In your react native project go to /android/app/src/main create a folder assets
  2. edit android > app > build.gradle
universalApk true  // If true, also generate a universal APK
  1. run this command at the root directory of your react native project
npx react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res
  1. Now, go into the android folder: cd android
  2. And, run this command: ./gradlew assembleDebug
    (if build failed, try building assembleDebug from android studio)

Just do this things.

and if you want to install app in device just run cmd

adb install 'path/add-debug.apk'

Upvotes: 2

Motasem Halawani
Motasem Halawani

Reputation: 186

Add devDisabledInDebug: true to project.ext.react in build.gradle file.

Upvotes: 1

Manish Sharma
Manish Sharma

Reputation: 131

There are two extensions you can use for this. This is added to react-native for setting these:

  1. disableDevInDebug: true: Disables dev server in debug buildType
  2. bundleInDebug: true: Adds jsbundle to debug buildType.

So, your final project.ext.react in android/app/build.gradle should look like below

project.ext.react = [
    enableHermes: false,  // clean and rebuild if changing
    devDisabledInDev: true, // Disable dev server in dev release
    bundleInDebug: true, // add bundle to dev apk
]

Upvotes: 9

Olgun Kaya
Olgun Kaya

Reputation: 2589

quite late for the party but none of the solutions at least on page 1 does not work for me. Thus I looked a bit deeper into the grade tasks registered by react;

just add bundleInDebug : true as shown in @Er Suman G's answer

run ./gradlew assembleDebug or gradle.bat assembleDebug based on your environment in your android folder.

This will generate the debuggable non server required app in android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug

Upvotes: 5

Er Suman G
Er Suman G

Reputation: 691

Generate debug APK without dev-server

If you really want to generate a debug APK (for testing purpose) that can run without the development server, Congrats! here I am to help you. :)
Everyone is saying that we need to run two commands react-native bundle ... and then gradlew assembleDebug but the generated APK still doesnot work without development server. After many research & try I figured out that we need to change in the gradle file (as in step-2). Just follow these steps:

  1. In your react native project go to /android/app/src/main create a folder assets
  2. edit android > app > build.gradle
project.ext.react = [
    ...
    bundleInDebug: true, // add this line
]
  1. run this command at the root directory of your react native project
react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res
  1. Now, go into the android folder: cd android
  2. And, run this command: gradlew assembleDebug
    (if build failed, try building assembleDebug from android studio)

This will create app-debug.apk file in android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug directory, which you can install & run without dev-server.

Upvotes: 12

Jeeva
Jeeva

Reputation: 1807

React Version 0.62.1

In your root project directory

Make sure you have already directory android/app/src/main/assets/, if not create directory, after that create new file and save as index.android.bundle and put your file in like this android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle

After that run this

react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res/

cd android && ./gradlew assembleDebug

Then you can get apk in app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Upvotes: 140

Dmitry Mugtasimov
Dmitry Mugtasimov

Reputation: 4008

You need to manually create the bundle for a debug build.

Bundle debug build:

#React-Native 0.59
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/src/main/res

#React-Native 0.49.0+
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

#React-Native 0-0.49.0
react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

Then to build the APK's after bundling:

$ cd android
#Create debug build:
$ ./gradlew assembleDebug
#Create release build:
$ ./gradlew assembleRelease #Generated `apk` will be located at `android/app/build/outputs/apk`

P.S. Another approach might be to modify gradle scripts.

Upvotes: 320

TheBaj
TheBaj

Reputation: 1141

As of react-native 0.57, none of the previously provided answers will work anymore, as the directories in which gradle expects to find the bundle and the assets have changed.

Simple way without react-native bundle

The simplest way to build a debug build is without using the react-native bundle command at all, but by simply modifying your app/build.gradle file.

Inside the project.ext.react map in the app/build.gradle file, add the bundleInDebug: true entry. If you want it to not be a --dev build (no warnings and minified bundle) then you should also add the devDisabledInDebug: true entry to the same map.

With react-native bundle

If for some reason you need to or want to use the react-native bundle command to create the bundle and then the ./gradlew assembleDebug to create the APK with the bundle and the assets you have to make sure to put the bundle and the assets in the correct paths, where gradle can find them.

As of react-native 0.57 those paths are android/app/build/generated/assets/react/debug/index.android.js for the bundle

and android/app/build/generated/res/react/debug for the assets. So the full commands for manually bundling and building the APK with the bundle and assets are:

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/generated/assets/react/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/res/react/debug

and then

./gradlew assembleDebug

Bundle and assets path

Note that that paths where gradle looks for the bundle and the assets might be subject to change. To find out where those paths are, look at the react.gradle file in your node_modules/react-native directory. The lines starting with def jsBundleDir = and def resourcesDir = specify the directories where gradle looks for the bundle and the assets respectively.

Upvotes: 13

sumit kumar pradhan
sumit kumar pradhan

Reputation: 653

I found a solution changing buildTypes like this:

buildTypes {
  release {
    signingConfig signingConfigs.release
  }
}

Upvotes: 0

HugoRMR
HugoRMR

Reputation: 152

Just in case someone else is recently getting into this same issue, I'm using React Native 0.59.8 (tested with RN 0.60 as well) and I can confirm some of the other answers, here are the steps:

  1. Uninstall the latest compiled version of your app installed you have on your device

  2. Run react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res

  3. run cd android/ && ./gradlew assembleDebug

  4. Get your app-debug.apk in folder android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug

good luck!

Upvotes: 7

m4r00p
m4r00p

Reputation: 1529

Please follow those steps.

Bundle your js:

if you have index.android.js in project root then run 

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

if you have index.js in project root then run 

react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res

Create debug apk:

cd android/
./gradlew assembleDebug

Then You can find your apk here:

cd app/build/outputs/apk/

Upvotes: 131

user3195905
user3195905

Reputation: 101

It can be possible to generate an unsigned apk version for testing purpose so you can run on your mobile.

Initially i got the red screen errors as most mentioned here. but i followed the same which was mentioned here and it worked for me.

On your console from working directory, run these four commands

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle-output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets-dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

cd android

gradlew assembleDebug

gradlew assembleRelease

And then APK file will produce on : android\app\build\outputs\apk\debug\app-debug.apk

Upvotes: 7

Nhan Cao
Nhan Cao

Reputation: 2515

With me, in the project directory run the following commands.

For react native old version (you will see index.android.js in root):

mkdir -p android/app/src/main/assets && rm -rf android/app/build && react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.android.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res && cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease && cd ../

For react native new version (you just see index.js in root):

mkdir -p android/app/src/main/assets && rm -rf android/app/build && react-native bundle --platform android --dev false --entry-file index.js --bundle-output android/app/src/main/assets/index.android.bundle --assets-dest android/app/src/main/res && cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease && cd ../

The apk file will be generated at:

  • Gradle < 3.0: android/app/build/outputs/apk/
  • Gradle 3.0+: android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/

Upvotes: 30

Shem Leong
Shem Leong

Reputation: 153

I'm on react native 0.55.4, basically i had to bundle manually:

react-native bundle --dev false --platform android --entry-file index.js --bundle- 
output ./android/app/build/intermediates/assets/debug/index.android.bundle --assets- 
dest ./android/app/build/intermediates/res/merged/debug

Then connect your device via usb, enable usb debugging. Verify the connected device with adb devices.

Lastly run react-native run-android which will install the debug apk on your phone and you can run it fine with the dev server

Note:

  • From 0.49.0, the entrypoint is a single index.js
  • gradlew assembleRelease only generates the release-unsigned apks which cannot be installed

Upvotes: 4

Abdellah Stands with Gaza
Abdellah Stands with Gaza

Reputation: 5168

After you follow the first response, you can run your app using

react-native run-android --variant=debug

And your app will run without need for the packager

Upvotes: 19

Dharam Mali
Dharam Mali

Reputation: 959

For Windows user if all steps followed properly from this: https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/signed-apk-android.html

You need to only run: gradlew assembleRelease

And your file will be:

  • app-release.apk
  • app-release-unaligned.apk

Location: E:\YourProjectName\android\app\build\outputs\apk

Upvotes: 7

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