macos-eas-setup.md

macOS Setup for Local EAS Builds

Complete guide for setting up macOS to build React Native/Expo apps locally using EAS CLI.

Prerequisites

• macOS (tested on macOS Sonoma/Sequoia)
• Node.js and npm installed
• Homebrew installed

Installation

1. Install EAS CLI (Global)

npm install -g eas-cli

2. Install Android Development Tools

# Install Zulu Java 17 JDK (required for React Native)
brew install --cask zulu@17

# Install Android Studio
brew install --cask android-studio

Note: Open Android Studio at least once to complete SDK setup.

3. Install iOS Development Tools

# Install Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

# Install CocoaPods
sudo gem install cocoapods

# Install Fastlane (used internally by EAS)
brew install fastlane

Note: Install Xcode from the Mac App Store (~12GB).

Environment Configuration

Add to your ~/.zshrc:

# Android SDK
export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Library/Android/sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin

# Java 17
export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/zulu-17.jdk/Contents/Home
export PATH=$JAVA_HOME/bin:$PATH

# Fastlane
export PATH=$HOME/.local/share/fastlane/4.0.0/bin:$PATH

Reload shell:

source ~/.zshrc

Usage

Build Script

Create deploy-local.sh in your Expo project:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

PLATFORM=${1:-"both"}

if [ "$PLATFORM" != "i" ] && [ "$PLATFORM" != "a" ] && [ "$PLATFORM" != "both" ]; then
    echo "❌ Invalid platform: $PLATFORM"
    echo "   Usage: ./deploy-local.sh [platform]"
    echo "   i    - iOS only"
    echo "   a    - Android only"
    echo "   (no arg) - Both platforms"
    exit 1
fi

echo "🚀 Starting Local Deployment..."

# Java 17 for Android builds
export JAVA_HOME=/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/zulu-17.jdk/Contents/Home
export GRADLE_OPTS="-Xmx4g -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=1g"

echo "☕ Using Java: $JAVA_HOME"
echo "📊 Gradle memory: $GRADLE_OPTS"

# iOS Build
if [ "$PLATFORM" == "i" ] || [ "$PLATFORM" == "both" ]; then
    echo "🍎 Building iOS (Local)..."
    eas build --platform ios --profile production --local --output ios-build.ipa
    
    echo "📤 Submitting iOS to App Store Connect..."
    eas submit --platform ios --path ios-build.ipa
    
    rm ios-build.ipa
    echo "✅ iOS done!"
fi

# Android Build
if [ "$PLATFORM" == "a" ] || [ "$PLATFORM" == "both" ]; then
    echo "🤖 Building Android (Local)..."
    eas build --platform android --profile production --local --output android-build.aab
    
    echo "📤 Submitting Android to Google Play..."
    eas submit --platform android --path android-build.aab
    
    rm android-build.aab
    echo "✅ Android done!"
fi

echo "✨ All done!"

Make it executable:

chmod +x deploy-local.sh

Running Builds

# Build both platforms
./deploy-local.sh

# Build iOS only
./deploy-local.sh i

# Build Android only
./deploy-local.sh a

Verification

Check installations:

# EAS CLI
eas --version

# Java
java -version

# Fastlane
fastlane --version

# CocoaPods
pod --version

# Android SDK
ls $ANDROID_HOME

Troubleshooting

Java Not Found

Ensure Zulu Java 17 is installed:

brew install --cask zulu@17

Android SDK Not Found

Open Android Studio and complete initial setup, then verify:

ls ~/Library/Android/sdk

CocoaPods Errors

Update CocoaPods:

sudo gem install cocoapods

EAS Login Required

eas login

Project Requirements

Ensure your eas.json has local build profiles:

{
  "cli": {
    "version": ">= 5.0.0"
  },
  "build": {
    "production": {
      "android": {
        "buildType": "app-bundle"
      },
      "ios": {
        "buildConfiguration": "Release"
      }
    }
  },
  "submit": {
    "production": {}
  }
}

Summary

Component	Purpose
EAS CLI	Main build orchestration
Fastlane	Internal iOS/Android build tools
Java 17	Android builds requirement
Android Studio	Android SDK & emulator
Xcode	iOS builds & simulator
CocoaPods	iOS dependency management

License

This setup guide is for educational purposes. Ensure you have appropriate licenses for all tools (Xcode requires Apple Developer account for distribution).