Apple App Store (FREE)

• Introduced in GitLab 15.8 with a flag named apple_app_store_integration. Disabled by default.
• Generally available in GitLab 15.10. Feature flag apple_app_store_integration removed.

With the Apple App Store integration, you can configure your CI/CD pipelines to connect to App Store Connect to build and release apps for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.

The integration is designed to be able to work out of the box with fastlane, but can be used with other build tools as well.

Prerequisites

An Apple ID enrolled in the Apple Developer Program is required to enable this integration.

Configure GitLab

GitLab supports enabling the Apple App Store integration at the project level. Complete these steps in GitLab:

1. In the Apple App Store Connect portal, generate a new private key for your project by following these instructions.

2. On the top bar, select Main menu > Projects and find your project.

3. On the left sidebar, select Settings > Integrations.

4. Select Apple App Store.

5. Turn on the Active toggle under Enable Integration.

6. Provide the Apple App Store Connect configuration information:

   • Issuer ID: The Apple App Store Connect Issuer ID can be found in the Keys section under Users and Access the Apple App Store Connect portal.
   • Key ID: The Key ID of the new private key that was just generated.
   • Private Key: The Private Key that was just generated. Note: you are only be able to download this key one time.

7. Select Save changes.

After the Apple App Store integration is activated:

• The global variables $APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ISSUER_ID, $APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_KEY_ID, and $APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_KEY are created for CI/CD use.
• $APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_KEY contains the Base64 encoded Private Key.

Security considerations

CI/CD variable security

Malicious code pushed to your .gitlab-ci.yml file could compromise your variables, including $APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_KEY, and send them to a third-party server. For more details, see CI/CD variable security.

fastlane Example

Because this integration works out of the box with fastlane adding the code below to an app's fastlane/Fastfile activates the integration, and create the connection for any interactions with the Apple App Store uploading a Test Flight or public App Store release.

app_store_connect_api_key(
  is_key_content_base64: true
)