How to Generate a Signed APK File (Cordova CLI Tutorial)

For your hybrid application, Cordova or PhoneGap — This solution will work for you to generate a signed APK with CLI.

Step 1: Install the Cordova console plugin

Example> cordova plugin rm org.apache.cordova.console --save

If you add --save it will remove the plugin from the config.xml

Step 2: Update AndroidManifest.xml file

We want release build for Android, we first need to make a small change to the AndroidManifest.xml file found in platforms/android. Edit the file and change the line as given below

<application android:debuggable="true" android:hardwareAccelerated="true" android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">

Also, change android:debuggable to false

<application android:debuggable="false" android:hardwareAccelerated="true" android:icon="@drawable/icon" android:label="@string/app_name">

Since Cordova 6.2.0 remove the android:debuggable tag completely. Here is the explanation from Cordova:

Explanation for issues of type “HardcodedDebugMode”: It’s best to leave out the android:debuggable attribute from the manifest. If you do, then the tools will automatically insert android:debuggable=true when building an APK to debug on an emulator or device. And when you perform a release build, such as Exporting APK, it will automatically set it to false.

If on the other hand, you specify a specific value in the manifest file, then the tools will always use it. This can lead to accidentally publishing your app with debug information.

Step 3: Tell Cordova to generate the release build

Example> cordova build --release android

Then, we can find our unsigned APK file in platforms/android/ant-build. In our example, the file was platforms/android/ant-build/Example-release-unsigned.apk

Step 4: Key Generation

Note: We have our Keystore keystoreNAME-mobileapps.keystore in the project directory, if you want to create another, please proceed with the following steps.

Use the below command in your project root directory.

keytool -genkey -v -keystore <keystoreName>.keystore -alias <Keystore AliasName> -keyalg <Key algorithm> -keysize <Key size> -validity <Key Validity in Days>

For example,

keytool -genkey -v -keystore NAME-mobileapps.keystore -alias NAMEmobileapps -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000


keystore password? : xxxxxxx
What is your first and last name? :  xxxxxx
What is the name of your organizational unit? :  xxxxxxxx
What is the name of your organization? :  xxxxxxxxx
What is the name of your City or Locality? :  xxxxxxx
What is the name of your State or Province? :  xxxxx
What is the two-letter country code for this unit? :  xxx

Then the Key store has been generated with the name NAME-mobileapps.keystore

Step 5: Use generated Keystore and sign the unsigned APK

Place the generated keystore in

old version Cordova

<project_path>platformsandroidant-build

New version Cordova

<project_path>platformsandroidbuildoutputsapk

To sign the unsigned APK, run the jarsigner tool which is also included in the JDK:

jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore <keystorename> <Unsigned APK file> <Keystore Alias name>Exampleplatformsandroidant-build> jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore NAME-mobileapps.keystore Example-release-unsigned.apk blablamobileapps

OR

Exampleplatformsandroidbuildoutputsapk> jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore NAME-mobileapps.keystore Example-release-unsigned.apk blablamobileapps

Enter KeyPhrase as 'xxxxxxxx'

This signs the APK in place.

Step 6: Use zipalign, sit back and relax

Finally, we need to run the zip align tool to optimize the APK:

Exampleplatformsandroidant-build> zipalign -v 9 Example-release-unsigned.apk Example.apk

OR (If you get — zipalign not found errors)

Exampleplatformsandroidant-build> C:Phonegapadt-bundle-windows-x86_64-20140624sdkbuild-toolsandroid-9.4Wzipalign -v 9 Example-release-unsigned.apk Example.apk

Bingo!!!

Now we have our final release binary called example.apk and we can release this on the Google Play Store.

Hope, this guide helps you!

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