rn-build-version

A React Native tool for managing version numbers on Android (versionCode / versionName in build.gradle) and iOS (MARKETING_VERSION / CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION in project.pbxproj, or CFBundleShortVersionString / CFBundleVersion in Info.plist). It simplifies version management by providing interactive prompts and automates backups and changelog updates.

Features

• Version Management:
  • Increment patch (e.g., 0.0.1 -> 0.0.2), minor (e.g., 0.0.1 -> 0.1.0), or major (e.g., 0.0.1 -> 1.0.0) versions.
  • Set custom versionCode and versionName.
  • Skip version updates for local testing builds.
• Automation:
  • Backup the version file before modifications.
  • Generate or update a CHANGELOG.md file with version details.
• Flexibility:
  • Choose the platform to update: android, ios, or both.
  • Custom file path support via CLI options.
  • Dry-run mode to simulate changes without applying them.

Prerequisites

• Ensure your build.gradle contains versionCode and versionName (e.g., in defaultConfig).
• For iOS, ensure either project.pbxproj defines MARKETING_VERSION / CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION, or Info.plist defines CFBundleShortVersionString / CFBundleVersion.
• Configure signing for release builds.

Notes

• The tool assumes a standard React Native project structure.
• Run chmod +x android/gradlew on macOS/Linux if Gradle permissions are an issue.

Installation

Install the package globally or as a development dependency in your React Native project:

# Globally
npm install -g rn-build-version

# As a dev dependency
npm install --save-dev rn-build-version

# Using yarn
yarn add --dev rn-build-version

Usage

1. Add Scripts to Your package.json

Integrate the tool into your React Native project by adding these scripts. The --platform flag decides which version gets bumped (android, ios, or both).

The iOS scripts contain placeholders you MUST rename before they will work — see What you MUST rename for iOS right below.

{
  "scripts": {
    // ───────── ANDROID (built with Gradle) ─────────
    "build:android:apk": "rn-build-version --platform android && cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease",
    "build:android:aab": "rn-build-version --platform android && cd android && ./gradlew clean bundleRelease",
    "build:android:apk:fast": "rn-build-version --platform android && cd android && ./gradlew assembleRelease",
    "build:android:aab:fast": "rn-build-version --platform android && cd android && ./gradlew bundleRelease",
    "build:android:apk:local": "cd android && ./gradlew clean assembleRelease",
    "build:android:aab:local": "cd android && ./gradlew clean bundleRelease",

    // ───────── iOS (built with Xcode / xcodebuild) ─────────
    // RENAME "YourApp" in BOTH the -workspace and -scheme values (see table below)
    "build:ios": "rn-build-version --platform ios && cd ios && xcodebuild -workspace YourApp.xcworkspace -scheme YourApp -configuration Release -sdk iphoneos archive -archivePath build/YourApp.xcarchive",
    "build:ios:local": "cd ios && xcodebuild -workspace YourApp.xcworkspace -scheme YourApp -configuration Release -sdk iphoneos build",

    // ───────── VERSION BUMP ONLY (no build) ─────────
    "version:android": "rn-build-version --platform android",
    "version:ios": "rn-build-version --platform ios",
    "version:both": "rn-build-version --platform both"
  }
}

Note: jsonc (JSON with comments) is shown for clarity. Remove the // ... comment lines before pasting into a real package.json — standard package.json does not allow comments.

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What you MUST rename for iOS

The Android scripts work as-is. The iOS scripts will NOT run until you replace YourApp with your app's real Xcode names. There are two values to change, and they are often different from each other:

Placeholder in the script	Replace with	Where to find it
YourApp.xcworkspace	Your .xcworkspace file name	Look inside the ios/ folder — it is the file ending in .xcworkspace (e.g. MyCoolApp.xcworkspace).
-scheme YourApp	Your scheme name	Open Xcode -> top toolbar scheme dropdown, or run xcodebuild -list -workspace ios/YourApp.xcworkspace.
build/YourApp.xcarchive	Any output path you like	Just keep it consistent; rename YourApp to match for tidiness.

Example — before vs. after

Say your app is called MyCoolApp (so ios/MyCoolApp.xcworkspace exists). You would change:

// BEFORE (placeholder — will fail)
"build:ios": "rn-build-version --platform ios && cd ios && xcodebuild -workspace YourApp.xcworkspace -scheme YourApp -configuration Release -sdk iphoneos archive -archivePath build/YourApp.xcarchive"

// AFTER (renamed to MyCoolApp — works)
"build:ios": "rn-build-version --platform ios && cd ios && xcodebuild -workspace MyCoolApp.xcworkspace -scheme MyCoolApp -configuration Release -sdk iphoneos archive -archivePath build/MyCoolApp.xcarchive"

Quick way to find both names at once — run this from your project root:

ls ios/*.xcworkspace        # shows the workspace name
xcodebuild -list -workspace ios/*.xcworkspace   # shows scheme names

iOS prerequisites

• Run cd ios && pod install once before building.
• A real .ipa for the App Store also needs code signing + an xcodebuild -exportArchive step. For full release automation, most teams use fastlane instead of raw xcodebuild — rn-build-version --platform ios still does the version bump; fastlane handles the build/upload.

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2. Run the Commands

Production Builds (bump version, then build)

# Android
yarn build:android:apk
yarn build:android:aab

# iOS  (after renaming YourApp!)
yarn build:ios

These prompt you to update the version before building.

Bump version only (no build)

yarn version:android    # bump Android only
yarn version:ios        # bump iOS only
yarn version:both       # bump BOTH in sync

Local Builds (No Version Change)

yarn build:android:apk:local
yarn build:android:aab:local
yarn build:ios:local

These skip version prompts and build with the current version.

When to Use Each Command

Command	Platform	Use Case
yarn build:android:apk	Android	Full build with version bump + clean (production APK).
yarn build:android:aab	Android	Full build with version bump + clean (production AAB / Play Store).
yarn build:android:apk:fast	Android	Build with version bump, no clean (faster iteration).
yarn build:android:aab:fast	Android	Build with version bump, no clean (faster iteration).
yarn build:android:apk:local	Android	Build with clean, no version bump.
yarn build:android:aab:local	Android	Build with clean, no version bump.
yarn build:ios	iOS	Bump iOS version, then archive via Xcode (rename YourApp first).
yarn build:ios:local	iOS	Build current iOS version, no bump (rename YourApp first).
yarn version:android	Android	Bump Android version only, no build.
yarn version:ios	iOS	Bump iOS version only, no build.
yarn version:both	Both	Bump Android and iOS together (keep store versions in sync).

CLI Usage

Run the tool directly with options:

rn-build-version [options]

Option	Description	Default
-p, --platform <platform>	Which platform to update: android, ios, or both	android
-g, --gradle <path>	Path to your Android build.gradle file	android/app/build.gradle
-i, --ios <path>	Path to your ios directory, project.pbxproj, or Info.plist	ios
-d, --dry-run	Simulate changes without applying them	false

iOS support

iOS versions can live in two places depending on your React Native version. The tool auto-detects which applies:

• Modern RN (around 0.71+) — ios/<App>.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj (MARKETING_VERSION and CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION). All build configs are updated.
• Legacy RN — ios/<App>/Info.plist (CFBundleShortVersionString and CFBundleVersion).

# Update iOS only
rn-build-version --platform ios

# Update Android and iOS in one run
rn-build-version --platform both

# Point at a specific file
rn-build-version --platform ios --ios ios/MyApp.xcodeproj/project.pbxproj

Default platform is android, so existing setups keep working unchanged.

Examples

• Use a custom Gradle path:

rn-build-version --gradle ./custom/path/build.gradle

• Simulate changes (dry-run):

rn-build-version --dry-run

• Combine options:

rn-build-version --gradle ./android/app/build.gradle --dry-run

Example Interaction

When you run rn-build-version or a build script with it, you will see:

=== Current Android Version Info ===
Version Code: 1
Version Name: 0.0.1
====================

? What do you want to do with the Android version? (Use arrow keys)
  > Increment patch (e.g., 1.0.1-beta -> 1.0.2-beta)
    Increment minor (e.g., 1.0.1-beta -> 1.1.0-beta)
    Increment major (e.g., 1.0.1-beta -> 2.0.0-beta)
    Set custom version
    Skip (no increment)

• Choosing "Increment patch":

  • Updates versionCode: 2, versionName: "0.0.2".
  • Creates a backup (build.gradle.bak on Android, project.pbxproj.bak / Info.plist.bak on iOS).
  • Appends to CHANGELOG.md.

• Choosing "Set custom version":

  • Prompts for new versionName and versionCode.
  • Example: Set versionName: "1.2.3", versionCode: 123.

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Screenshots

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Fixed: Now this will work all type of version naming convention.