ios-builder: Build and Sign iOS Apps Without a Mac via Cloud CI

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The open-source CLI tool ios-builder allows developers to build, sign, and distribute iOS applications from Windows, Linux, or any platform. It delegates compilation to remote macOS runners on GitHub Actions, Codemagic, or Bitrise and integrates with MobAI for simulator access.

Key points

  1. Mac-free builds: Compiles iOS applications remotely using GitHub Actions, Codemagic, or Bitrise macOS runners from Windows or Linux.
  2. Code signing pipeline: Generates private keys and CSRs locally, calls the App Store Connect API to create certificates and provisioning profiles, and packages them as .p12 files for CI.
  3. Working tree snapshots: builder ios build includes uncommitted and untracked changes by pushing temporary snapshots to hidden Git refs without cluttering repository history.
  4. Simulator and live devices: Connects to MobAI to run interactive remote iOS simulator sessions or enable hot reload for Flutter and React Native.
  5. Multi-framework support: Automatically detects project structures for native Swift, Flutter, React Native, Expo, Kotlin Multiplatform, and Cordova/Ionic.

Why it matters

Local macOS hardware requirements have historically complicated cross-platform mobile development on non-Apple systems. ios-builder streamlines building, automated signing, and distribution to TestFlight, the App Store, or direct over-the-air installation without requiring a local Mac.

Analysis

By pairing App Store Connect API automation with throwaway CI snapshots, ios-builder simplifies the build and signing workflow for cross-platform developers. It removes manual signing setup while supporting multiple CI providers without locking users into a single ecosystem.

Original post

Interlap

@interlap01 · 5 October 2026

ios-builder just hit 1,000 GitHub stars 🎉 It gives you one CLI to build, sign and ship iOS apps from pretty much anywhere, whether you use Swift, React Native, Flutter or Expo. t.co/7qLKXaPp1k

326 likes3 replies461 bookmarks17.4k views

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More posts in the thread (1)
  1. @Robertg761_ That’s actually one of the parts ios-builder handles without a Mac. It generates the private key + CSR locally, uses the ASC API to create the certificate and provisioning profile, then packages the certificate into a .p12 and sends everything to CI. Mac runner does the build
Selected replies (4)
  • @Robertg761_ @interlap01 building for ios without a mac has always been painful. how does the signing step work under the hood?
  • @sagar_7246 @interlap01 Need a short demo video for this
  • @Robertg761_ @interlap01 for 99 cents you can turn ios-builder's year into a permanent yearbook page with contributor cards: t.co/HO96vKXVlA - launch price for the first 50 repos, then it's $3.99
  • @emori_lebo @interlap01 The signing part is the piece worth getting right. How do you keep certificates and provisioning secrets out of build logs and artifacts, especially on forked PRs? A convenient release pipeline should make the safe route the easy route.

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