EAS Build and Deployment

Expojet generates EAS (Expo Application Services) development, preview, and production build profiles for Expo SDK 57 and SDK 58 applications, in standalone projects and full-stack monorepos. These profiles describe how to build and distribute the app; they are not a deployment certification or a security review.

What is EAS?

Expo Application Services (EAS) is a suite of cloud services tailored for Expo and React Native applications:

• EAS Build: Cloud-hosted builds for iOS and Android with managed credentials and environment secrets.
• EAS Submit: Automated app store submissions to Apple App Store Connect and Google Play Console.
• EAS Update: Instant over-the-air (OTA) bug fixes and runtime updates deployed to specific channels.
• EAS Metadata: Automated App Store metadata, screenshots, and localized copy synchronization.

Configuration (eas.json)

When --eas is enabled (default in interactive mode), Expojet generates the following eas.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/eas-json",
  "cli": {
    "version": ">= 16.0.0",
    "appVersionSource": "remote"
  },
  "build": {
    "development": {
      "developmentClient": true,
      "distribution": "internal",
      "ios": {
        "simulator": true
      }
    },
    "preview": {
      "distribution": "internal",
      "channel": "preview"
    },
    "production": {
      "autoIncrement": true,
      "channel": "production"
    }
  },
  "submit": {
    "production": {}
  }
}

Build Profiles Explained

Simulator Builds

The development profile is pre-configured with "ios": { "simulator": true }. This enables building an .app binary that runs directly on the macOS iOS Simulator without requiring an Apple Developer signing certificate.

# Build for iOS Simulator locally or on EAS
npx eas build --profile development --platform ios

Monorepo Placement

In full-stack monorepos (monorepo or monorepo-web), eas.json is generated directly inside the mobile workspace:

my-monorepo/
├── apps/
│   ├── api/
│   ├── mobile/
│   │   ├── eas.json            <-- Scoped to mobile workspace
│   │   ├── app.json
│   │   └── package.json
│   └── web/
├── packages/
└── package.json

When building a monorepo workspace with EAS CLI, EAS automatically detects the root package.json and runs workspace dependency installation before bundling apps/mobile.

Deployment controls you must configure

The generated production profile names a build configuration, not an approval boundary. Before shipping, your team must decide:

• Credential access: choose who can manage signing credentials and production environment values. Set appropriate Expo organization roles and limit access to CI tokens; never share a personal account login.
• Update permissions: decide who may publish production updates and who approves them. Configure access restrictions in your Expo account and approval gates in your release process; a production channel name alone does not enforce them.
• Signing: configure the app-store signing credentials needed for your builds. If you use EAS Update, decide whether to enable update code signing and protect its private key separately. Expojet does not provision update-signing keys.
• Rollback: retain known-good builds and updates, assign responsibility for recovery, and rehearse the procedure. EAS Update rollbacks apply to compatible updates; native changes may require a new store build.

The generated profiles include preview and production channel names. They do not complete EAS Update setup, configure account permissions, or install a release-approval workflow. Linking a project and building it do not replace those decisions.

Common Workflows

1. Linking EAS Project

Before triggering cloud builds, initialize your Expo project link:

# Log in to your Expo account
npx eas login

# Initialize EAS project ID
npx eas project:init

This sets the extra.eas.projectId field in app.json.

2. Building Previews for QA

Generate an installable APK or iOS internal distribution build:

npx eas build --profile preview --platform all

EAS generates shareable QR codes and install links for team members.

3. Deploying Production Builds

# Build for store submission
npx eas build --profile production --platform all

# Automatically submit to stores upon build completion
npx eas build --profile production --platform all --auto-submit

Doctor Diagnostics

Expojet checks local EAS configuration, not account permissions, signing-key access, or deployment approval. Run:

node packages/cli/dist/cli.js doctor

When features.eas is enabled in expojet.jsonc, the doctor check validates:

1. eas.json is present in the mobile root (. or apps/mobile/).
2. Valid JSON syntax.
3. Presence of development, preview, and production build profiles.
4. Presence of ios.bundleIdentifier and android.package in the app configuration.

A passing result does not verify every EAS schema option or establish that the application is ready for production deployment.