OTAShip

Self-hosted OTA (Over-The-Air) update server for Expo and React Native applications.

Skip the app store review process and deliver updates to your users instantly.

Overview

OTAShip is a complete solution for managing OTA updates, consisting of:

Component	Description
backend	Go server handling update distribution, analytics, and CDN integration
admin-dashboard	Next.js web dashboard for managing updates and projects
otaship-cli	Command-line tool for publishing updates
expo-client	Example Expo app demonstrating OTA integration

Features

• Instant Updates — Push JavaScript bundle updates without app store review
• Multi-Project — Manage multiple Expo apps from a single server
• Gradual Rollouts — Release updates to a percentage of users
• Multiple Channels — Separate production, staging, and beta releases
• Analytics — Track download counts and update adoption
• CDN Support — Cloudinary integration for global asset delivery
• Code Signing — Optional RSA-SHA256 manifest signing

Quick Start

1. Deploy the Backend

cd backend
cp .env.example .env
# Configure MongoDB and Cloudinary credentials
go run .

Or deploy to Render with one click:

2. Set Up the Dashboard

cd admin-dashboard
npm install
cp .env.example .env.local
# Set NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL to your backend URL
npm run dev

3. Configure Your Expo App

Update app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "slug": "my-app",
    "runtimeVersion": "1",
    "updates": {
      "url": "https://your-server.com/api/my-app/manifest",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

4. Publish Updates

cd my-expo-app
otaship init
otaship

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│   Expo Client   │────▶│  OTAShip API    │────▶│   Cloudinary    │
│   (Mobile App)  │     │   (Go + Gin)    │     │     (CDN)       │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                               │
       ┌───────────────────────┼───────────────────────┐
       │                       │                       │
       ▼                       ▼                       ▼
┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│    MongoDB      │     │  Admin Dashboard│     │   OTAShip CLI   │
│   (Metadata)    │     │   (Next.js)     │     │   (Go Binary)   │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

Documentation

• Backend Setup — Server configuration and API reference
• CLI Usage — Publishing updates from command line
• Dashboard Guide — Managing projects and updates

Requirements

• Go 1.21+
• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB Atlas (or local MongoDB)
• Cloudinary account (optional, for CDN)

License

MIT