CODEWITHSUNDEEP
macoselectroncode-signing
Chinmoy Samanta
Chinmoy Samanta

Reputation: 1418

Sign an electron app on macos using pfx certificate

I have created an electron app. Now I want to sign code for both windows and mac platform. But I have only go daday pfx certificate.I successfully signed code using pfx certificate from go daday in windows platform. So,Can I sign an electron app on macos platform using go daday certificate?

Upvotes: 1

Views: 710

Answers (1)

Gordon Davisson
Gordon Davisson

Reputation: 126038

You can sign a macOS app with a GoDaddy code-signing certificate, but it probably won't do what you want. Here's what Apple's developer documentation says (with my emphasis added):

Note: Apple uses the industry-standard form and format of code signing certificates. Therefore, if your company already has a third-party signing identity that you use to sign code on other systems, you can use it with the macOS codesign command. Similarly, if your company is a certificate issuing authority, contact your IT department to find out how to get a signing certificate issued by your company. However, while these valid certificates allow you to sign your code, you can only distribute through the App Store or through the Developer ID program when you sign with a certificate issued by Apple.

So, the question is: how is your application going to be distributed to users' computers?

  • If it's sold through Apple's App Store, you need to become an Apple Developer, get a Mac App Distribution certificate from Apple, and sign the app with that before submitting it to Apple.
  • If it's distributed outside Apple's App Store (e.g. via web download), then you also need to become an Apple developer, get a Developer ID certificate, and use that to sign it. If you don't sign it with the right kind of certificate, Gatekeeper will prevent users from opening the app unless they go through a special procedure to trust the app.

Either way, you need to join the Apple Developer program, and use an Apple-issued code signing certificate to sign the macOS version of your app.

Upvotes: 4

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