DevOps for Mobile Applications

Well, i am pretty sure when you read about the heading you must’ve thought what a combination it is?
And is it even possible?
But, let me clear your myths regarding this and let you know that yes, it is quite possible to have Devops for Mobile applications.
How?
you’ll get the answer for it by end of this article

Today, we’ll explore the exciting world of DevOps for mobile applications. As mobile usage continues to soar, it has become crucial for developers to adopt efficient DevOps practices tailored for mobile app development. In this blog, we’ll be implementing automated build, testing, and deployment for mobile apps in a DevOps environment. Let’s get started!

Implementing automated build, testing, and deployment for mobile apps:

To streamline the development process and ensure a smooth integration of DevOps in mobile app development, Let’s walk through an example project to demonstrate how you can implement automated build, testing, and deployment for a mobile app. For this example, we’ll consider an Android app developed using Java and Gradle as the build system. We’ll use Jenkins as the CI/CD tool to automate the process.

Example Project: Simple Note-Taking Android App

Our example project is a simple note-taking Android app called “QuickNotes.” It allows users to create, view, edit, and delete notes.

Version Control Setup:
Start by setting up a Git repository for your Android app. Use Git to track changes in the source code and collaborate with your team.

# Initialize Git repository
git init

# Add all files to the repository
git add .

# Commit changes with a descriptive message
git commit -m "Initial commit"

Continuous Integration (CI) with Jenkins:
Install Jenkins on your CI server and set up a new Jenkins project for your Android app. Configure the project to trigger builds whenever changes are pushed to the Git repository.

Jenkins Build Configuration (Jenkinsfile):
Create a Jenkinsfile in the root directory of your project. The Jenkinsfile defines the pipeline stages for building, testing, and deploying your Android app.

pipeline {
    agent any

    stages {
        stage('Checkout') {
            steps {
                // Check out the code from Git
                git 'https://github.com/your-username/quicknotes-android.git'
            }
        }
        
        stage('Build APK') {
            steps {
                // Build the APK using Gradle
                sh './gradlew assembleDebug'
            }
        }
        
        stage('Run Tests') {
            steps {
                // Run unit tests and instrumented tests using Gradle
                sh './gradlew test'
            }
        }
        
        stage('Deploy to Firebase App Distribution') {
            steps {
                // Deploy the APK to Firebase App Distribution for beta testing
                sh './gradlew appDistributionUploadDebug'
            }
        }
    }
}

Automated Testing:
Create unit tests and instrumented tests for your Android app using JUnit and Espresso. Place the unit tests in the “test” directory and the instrumented tests in the “androidTest” directory of your project.

Example Unit Test (SampleUnitTest.java):

import org.junit.Test;

import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;

public class SampleUnitTest {
    @Test
    public void addition_isCorrect() {
        assertEquals(4, 2 + 2);
    }
}

Example Instrumented Test (SampleInstrumentedTest.java):

import androidx.test.ext.junit.runners.AndroidJUnit4;
import androidx.test.rule.ActivityTestRule;

import org.junit.Rule;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.junit.runner.RunWith;

import static androidx.test.espresso.Espresso.onView;
import static androidx.test.espresso.action.ViewActions.click;
import static androidx.test.espresso.action.ViewActions.typeText;
import static androidx.test.espresso.matcher.ViewMatchers.withId;

@RunWith(AndroidJUnit4.class)
public class SampleInstrumentedTest {
    @Rule
    public ActivityTestRule activityTestRule = new ActivityTestRule<>(MainActivity.class);

    @Test
    public void testNoteCreation() {
        onView(withId(R.id.fab)).perform(click());
        onView(withId(R.id.editTextNote)).perform(typeText("Test Note"));
        onView(withId(R.id.btnSaveNote)).perform(click());
    }
}

Deployment to Firebase App Distribution:
To deploy the app for beta testing, integrate Firebase App Distribution into your project. Firebase App Distribution allows you to distribute pre-release versions of your app to testers.

1. Set up Firebase in your Android app by following the official documentation.
2. Configure the app-level build.gradle file to include Firebase App Distribution plugin and API key.

// Add the Firebase App Distribution plugin to the build.gradle file
plugins {
    id 'com.google.firebase.appdistribution'
}

// Add your Firebase API key
firebaseAppDistribution {
    releaseNotes="New features and bug fixes"
}

By implementing automated build, testing, and deployment using Jenkins and Firebase App Distribution, you can streamline the development process and ensure continuous integration and delivery for your Android app. This enables faster feedback loops, higher app quality, and quicker deployment to testers and end-users.

Conclusion:

DevOps for mobile applications offers tremendous benefits in terms of increased collaboration, faster development cycles, and improved app quality. By understanding the challenges and adopting automated build, testing, and deployment practices, you can ensure a seamless and efficient DevOps process for your mobile app. Additionally, deploying your app to app stores and distribution platforms opens the door to a global audience. Happy DevOps-ing!