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React Native Academy · Lección

Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados

Registre una cuenta de Apple Developer, cree un App ID, genere un certificado de distribución en Keychain Access y descargue un provisioning profile desde el portal de desarrolladores.

Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados es una lección gratuita de React Native Academy en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 1 de 4. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de React Native Academy, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.

Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.

The Apple Developer Program

To distribute an iOS app on the App Store, you need an Apple Developer Program membership, which costs $99 per year. This grants you access to App Store Connect (to manage your listings and builds), the Developer Portal (to manage certificates and devices), and the ability to distribute apps to the public. Without membership, you can only run apps on your own registered devices.

Creating an App ID

An App ID (also called a Bundle ID) uniquely identifies your app in Apple's ecosystem. It follows reverse-domain notation: com.yourcompany.appname. You register it in the Developer Portal under Certificates, Identifiers and Profiles > Identifiers. The Bundle ID must match the ios.bundleIdentifier value in your app.json exactly — a mismatch prevents the app from being signed and submitted.

// app.json
{
  'expo': {
    'ios': {
      'bundleIdentifier': 'com.yourcompany.myapp',
      'buildNumber': '1'
    }
  }
}

// This must exactly match the App ID registered in
// developer.apple.com/account/resources/identifiers

Development vs Distribution Certificates

Apple uses two types of signing certificates: a Development certificate for running apps on test devices during development, and a Distribution certificate for builds submitted to TestFlight and the App Store. Each developer can have one distribution certificate at a time. The certificate proves the code came from you and was not tampered with. Certificates are linked to your Apple ID and stored in macOS Keychain.

Generating a Certificate Signing Request

To get a distribution certificate, you first generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) using Keychain Access on your Mac. Open Keychain Access, choose Certificate Assistant > Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority, fill in your email and Common Name, save the CSR file to disk. Then upload this CSR in the Developer Portal to receive your signed certificate.

# Alternative: generate CSR via OpenSSL (no Mac needed)
openssl genrsa -out private.key 2048

openssl req -new -key private.key \
  -out CertificateSigningRequest.certSigningRequest \
  -subj '/emailAddress=you@example.com,CN=Your Name,C=US'

# Upload CertificateSigningRequest.certSigningRequest
# to developer.apple.com > Certificates > + icon

Downloading and Installing the Certificate

After Apple approves your CSR, download the .cer file and double-click it on macOS to install it into your Keychain. Verify it appears under My Certificates in Keychain Access. The certificate is only valid on the machine that generated the original CSR (because the private key pair lives in that Keychain). To sign on a different machine, export the certificate with its private key as a .p12 file.

# Export certificate and private key as .p12 for CI or team sharing:
# 1. In Keychain Access, find your distribution certificate
# 2. Expand it, select both the cert AND the private key
# 3. Right-click > Export 2 items...
# 4. Save as .p12 and set a password
# 5. Store securely — anyone with the .p12 can sign as you

Provisioning Profiles

A provisioning profile links your App ID, your distribution certificate, and (for development profiles) specific device UDIDs. Apple requires a valid provisioning profile for every build. For App Store distribution use an App Store Distribution provisioning profile. Create it in the Developer Portal under Profiles, select your App ID and certificate, and download the .mobileprovision file.

# There are three types of distribution provisioning profiles:

# 1. App Store
#    Purpose: Submit to TestFlight and App Store
#    Device restriction: None (any device via store)

# 2. Ad Hoc
#    Purpose: Install on specific registered devices (up to 100)
#    Use case: QA testers without TestFlight

# 3. Enterprise
#    Purpose: Internal distribution within a company
#    Requires: Apple Developer Enterprise Program ($299/yr)

Automated Credential Management with EAS

Managing certificates and provisioning profiles manually is error-prone. EAS Build (Expo Application Services) can handle this automatically. Run eas credentials and EAS generates the CSR, creates the certificate through the Apple API, generates a provisioning profile, and stores everything securely in its credentials store. You never need to touch Keychain or the Developer Portal manually.

# Install EAS CLI
npm install -g eas-cli

# Log in
eas login

# Manage credentials interactively
eas credentials

# EAS will ask:
# - Platform: iOS
# - Which build profile: production
# - Auto-setup: Yes
# Then it creates/stores certs and profiles for you

Configuring eas.json for Production

The eas.json file at the project root configures EAS Build profiles. The production profile is what you use for App Store builds. Set distribution to 'store' so EAS uses App Store distribution signing. The credentialsSource of 'remote' means EAS fetches certs from its secure cloud storage automatically.

// eas.json
{
  'cli': {
    'version': '>= 5.0.0'
  },
  'build': {
    'development': {
      'developmentClient': true,
      'distribution': 'internal'
    },
    'preview': {
      'distribution': 'internal'
    },
    'production': {
      'distribution': 'store',
      'credentialsSource': 'remote',
      'ios': {
        'image': 'latest'
      }
    }
  }
}

Two-Factor Authentication Requirement

Apple requires two-factor authentication (2FA) on all Apple Developer accounts. When EAS needs to perform credential operations, it authenticates with Apple's API on your behalf. You must provide your Apple ID and password plus an app-specific password (generated at appleid.apple.com) for automated tools, because Apple does not allow your main account password in CI environments.

# Environment variables for CI / EAS non-interactive mode
export EXPO_APPLE_ID='you@example.com'

# App-specific password from appleid.apple.com:
export EXPO_APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD='abcd-efgh-ijkl-mnop'

# EAS will use these when running in CI:
eas build --platform ios --profile production --non-interactive

Managing Multiple Team Members

In a company, typically one person (the Account Holder) owns the Apple Developer account. Other developers are invited as Admin or App Manager roles in App Store Connect. Distribution certificates are tied to the Account Holder or an Admin. Using EAS Build means the certificate is stored in EAS's secure store and all team members can trigger builds without needing the private key on their personal Mac.

Certificate Expiry and Renewal

Apple distribution certificates are valid for one year. When a certificate expires, you cannot create new App Store builds until you renew it — but existing builds in the store continue to work fine. EAS Build notifies you before expiry and can auto-renew. If you manage certificates manually, set a calendar reminder 30 days before expiry. Revoking a certificate invalidates all provisioning profiles that reference it.

# Check certificate expiry via EAS
eas credentials --platform ios

# Shows:
# Distribution Certificate
#   Expiration: Dec 15, 2026 (285 days remaining)
#   Certificate ID: XXXXXXXXXX

# Renew before expiry to avoid build downtime:
# eas credentials --platform ios
# Select: Update Distribution Certificate

Quick Check

Test your understanding of React Native Mobile Development concepts from this lesson.

Lesson Recap

In this lesson you learned: how to register an App ID in the Apple Developer Portal, how to generate a CSR and obtain a distribution certificate, and how provisioning profiles link the App ID and certificate for App Store builds. You also saw how EAS Build automates credential management so you rarely need to handle certificates manually. Next up we configure signing specifically with EAS Build.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿La lección «Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados» es gratis?

Sí — el texto completo de «Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de React Native Academy, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de React Native Academy incluye 4 lecciones en total.

¿Qué aprenderé en «Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados»?

Registre una cuenta de Apple Developer, cree un App ID, genere un certificado de distribución en Keychain Access y descargue un provisioning profile desde el portal de desarrolladores. Practicas React Native Academy con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.

¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar React Native Academy?

No se requiere experiencia previa. React Native Academy en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 1 de 4.

¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados»?

La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.

¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de React Native Academy?

Sí. Cada lección de React Native Academy incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.

Todas las lecciones de este curso

  1. Configuración de la cuenta de Apple Developer y certificados
  2. Configuración de la firma con EAS Build
  3. Preparación de los metadatos de App Store en App Store Connect
  4. Envío para revisión y respuesta a rechazos
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