Android Build

Android development uses Gradle as the build system. This recipe demonstrates how to build Android apps including dependency resolution, testing, and APK generation.

Android Gradle Build YAML

name: Android Build
platform: android

environment:
  android_sdk: 34

triggers:
  - push
  - pull_request

steps:
  - name: Install dependencies
    run: ./gradlew dependencies

  - name: Run tests
    run: ./gradlew test

  - name: Build APK
    run: ./gradlew assembleRelease

artifacts:
  - app/build/outputs/**/*.apk

Android App Bundle Build

For Google Play Store distribution:

name: Android AAB Build
platform: android

environment:
  android_sdk: 34

triggers:
  - push

steps:
  - name: Build bundle
    run: ./gradlew bundleRelease

artifacts:
  - app/build/outputs/**/*.aab

Build Workflow

The typical Android build workflow includes:

1. Dependency Resolution: ./gradlew dependencies downloads and caches all Gradle dependencies
2. Unit Testing: ./gradlew test runs your test suite
3. APK Build: ./gradlew assembleRelease creates a release APK
4. AAB Build: ./gradlew bundleRelease creates an Android App Bundle for Play Store

Key Points

Tip

Android projects use the Gradle Wrapper (gradlew), which is included in your repository. This ensures the correct Gradle version is used regardless of the build machine.

• Gradle Wrapper: The ./gradlew script is committed to your repo and handles version management
• APK vs AAB: APK files are for direct installation; AAB (App Bundle) is required for Google Play Store
• Release vs Debug: Add -Debug suffix (e.g., assembleDebug) for debug builds, or -Release for production
• Build Signing: Release builds require signing configuration in build.gradle

Collect Build Outputs

artifacts:
  - app/build/outputs/**/*.apk
  - app/build/outputs/**/*.aab
  - app/build/outputs/**/mapping.txt

Android with Signing

name: Android Signed Build
platform: android

environment:
  android_sdk: 34
  variables:
    ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64: $ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64
    ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD: $ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD
    ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS: $ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS
    ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD: $ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD

triggers:
  - push

steps:
  - name: Setup signing keystore
    run: |
      echo $ANDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64 | base64 -d > app/keystore.jks

  - name: Build signed APK
    run: ./gradlew assembleRelease

artifacts:
  - app/build/outputs/**/*.apk