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Configuring EAS Build (eas.json)

1. Creating EAS Configuration

Example: eas.json structure

{
  "cli": {
    "version": "latest"
  },
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "distribution": "store",
      "android": {
        "buildType": "app-bundle"
      },
      "ios": {
        "buildType": "archive"
      }
    },
    "development": {
      "distribution": "internal",
      "developmentClient": true
    }
  },
  "submit": {
    "production": {
      "ios": {
        "appleId": "user@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
Property Description Values
cli.version Version of EAS CLI to use "latest" or "1.0.0"
build.production Configuration for production builds Object with distribution, android, ios
build.development Configuration for development builds Object with distribution, developmentClient
submit.production Configuration for submitting builds to app stores Object with ios, android
Note: The eas.json file must be located in the root of your project.
Warning: Ensure that all paths in eas.json are relative to the project root.

2. Defining Build Profiles

Profile Name Platform Configuration Notes
development all 
{
  "build": {
    "developmentClient": true,
    "distribution": "internal"
  }
}
 For local development and testing
production all 
{
  "build": {
    "developmentClient": false,
    "distribution": "store"
  }
}
 For publishing to app stores
preview all 
{
  "build": {
    "developmentClient": false,
    "distribution": "internal"
  }
}
 For sharing builds with testers

Example: eas.json build profile configuration

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "developmentClient": false,
      "distribution": "store",
      "channel": "production"
    },
    "preview": {
      "developmentClient": false,
      "distribution": "internal",
      "channel": "preview"
    }
  }
}

3. Setting Distribution Mode

Mode Description Configuration Notes
release Builds for production distribution "release": true Default for EAS Build
development Builds for local development and testing "release": false Includes debug info and development tools
preview Builds for preview distribution (e.g., EAS Update) "release": false Enables EAS Update features

Example: Setting Distribution Mode in eas.json

{
  "build": {
    "release": true,
    "env": {
      "EXPO_PUBLIC_ENV": "production"
    }
  }
}

4. Configuring Android Build

Property Values Description
build.android.versionCode 1 Version code for Android builds. Must be an integer.
build.android.buildType app-bundle, apk Build type for Android. Defaults to app-bundle.
build.android.signing auto, manual Signing mode. auto uses EAS-managed signing.
build.android.gradleAppId com.example.app Application ID for Android builds.
build.android.icon ./assets/icon.png Path to the Android app icon.
build.android.permissions ["CAMERA", "ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION"] List of Android permissions required.
build.android.config ./android/app.json Path to Android-specific config file.

Example: eas.json configuration for Android

{
  "build": {
    "android": {
      "versionCode": 1,
      "buildType": "app-bundle",
      "signing": "auto",
      "gradleAppId": "com.example.app",
      "icon": "./assets/icon.png",
      "permissions": ["CAMERA", "ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION"],
      "config": "./android/app.json"
    }
  }
}
Note: Ensure versionCode is incremented for each release.

5. Configuring iOS Build

Property Values Description
build.ios.bundleIdentifier string Unique identifier for the iOS app. Required for building.
build.ios.config string Path to the EAS build configuration file (e.g., eas-build.json).
build.ios.distribution 'app-store' | 'ad-hoc' | 'enterprise' Target distribution method for the iOS build.
build.ios.provisioningProfile string Path to the provisioning profile for code signing.
build.ios.signingCertificate string Path to the code signing certificate.
build.ios.signingIdentity string Name of the signing identity in the keychain.
build.ios.teamId string Apple Developer Team ID used for code signing.
build.ios.version string Version string for the iOS app (e.g., 1.0.0).

Example: eas.json iOS build configuration

{
  "build": {
    "ios": {
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.example.myapp",
      "distribution": "app-store",
      "teamId": "ABC123DEF456",
      "version": "1.0.0"
    }
  }
}

6. Setting Build Environment Variables

Variable Value Description
EAS_BUILD_ENV production Environment for the build process
EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL https://api.myapp.com Public API endpoint used in the app
EXPO_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION 1.2.3 Current version of the app exposed to the client

Example: Setting Environment Variables in eas.json

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "env": {
        "EXPO_PUBLIC_API_URL": "https://api.myapp.com",
        "EXPO_PUBLIC_APP_VERSION": "1.2.3"
      }
    }
  }
}

7. Using Credentials Source

Property Values Description
credentialsSource local | managed Specifies where credentials are stored. local stores them in the project's eas.json file. managed uses EAS credentials managed by Expo.

Example: Setting credentialsSource to local

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "credentialsSource": "local"
    }
  }
}

Example: Setting credentialsSource to managed

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "credentialsSource": "managed"
    }
  }
}

8. Setting Build Type

Property Values Description
buildType app-bundle, apk Specifies the type of build to generate. app-bundle is for Android App Bundles, apk is for Android Package files.

Example: Setting Build Type in eas.json

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "buildType": "app-bundle"
    }
  }
}

9. Configuring App Extensions

Property Description Values
appExtensions Defines app extensions for the project object

Example: Configuring App Extensions

{
  "appExtensions": {
    "notificationService": {
      "name": "Notification Service Extension",
      "platforms": ["ios", "android"]
    }
  }
}

10. Setting Resource Class

Property Values Description
resourceClass medium, large, xlarge Specifies the resource class to use for building your app. NEW

Example: Setting Resource Class

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "resourceClass": "large"
    }
  }
}

11. Using Custom Build Config

Example: Custom EAS Build Configuration

{
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "android": {
        "buildType": "app-bundle",
        "gradleCommand": ":app:bundleRelease"
      },
      "ios": {
        "buildType": "archive",
        "scheme": "MyApp"
      }
    },
    "staging": {
      "android": {
        "buildType": "apk",
        "gradleCommand": ":app:assembleDebug"
      },
      "ios": {
        "buildType": "simulator",
        "scheme": "MyAppStaging"
      }
    }
  }
}
Property Description Values Notes
buildType Specifies the type of build to generate app-bundle, apk, archive, simulator For Android, use app-bundle for Play Store. For iOS, use archive for distribution.
gradleCommand Custom Gradle command to run for Android builds :app:bundleRelease, :app:assembleDebug Use this to override default build commands. Must be a valid Gradle task.
scheme Build scheme for iOS builds MyApp, MyAppStaging Must match the scheme in Xcode project.
Note: Custom build configurations are applied only to builds created with EAS Build. They do not affect local builds.

12. Configuring Build Hooks

Hook Description Usage
build.pre Runs before the build process starts "build.pre": "echo 'Starting build...'"
build.post Runs after the build completes successfully "build.post": "echo 'Build completed!'"
build.error Runs if the build fails "build.error": "echo 'Build failed!'"

Example: Setting up build hooks in eas.json

{
  "build": {
    "pre": "echo 'Running pre-build script'",
    "post": "echo 'Running post-build script'",
    "error": "echo 'Build failed, running error handler'"
  }
}

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