Converse

Setup

Environment

First, create a .env.local file based on the provided .env.example:

cp .env.example .env.local

Then, run one of the following commands to set up your environment variables:

# For development environment
yarn env:pull:dev

# For preview environment
yarn env:pull:preview

# For production environment
yarn env:pull:prod

This will create the appropriate .env.local file with environment variables configured in expo.dev. Note that you'll need to have an Expo project set up since we use their EAS service to pull environment variables.

Install JS/React Native dependencies

yarn

Install Ruby dependencies

To ensure you're using the correct version of CocoaPods, install the Ruby dependencies:

gem install bundler
bundle install

Quick start

iOS:

yarn ios

Android:

yarn android

After the initial build, you can simply use yarn start to launch the Expo server for subsequent runs.

Manual start

Install iOS dependencies

npx pod-install

Build the iOS app

• Open ios/Converse.xcworkspace in Xcode
• Select the Converse target
• Select target iOS device
• Click the play/build button to build and install the app

Build the Android app

• Open Android Studio
• Press the top right gradle icon to sync gradle
• Click the play/build button to build and install the app

Forward backend port

If running the backend locally, run yarn android:reverse

Running the app

Once the app builds it will open the Expo App and ask what server and port you are targeting. If none are found, you probably need to start the expo server.

Start Expo server

yarn start

Development

Code Style and Best Practices

This project follows specific coding standards and best practices. Please refer to:

• .cursorrules - Defines our coding standards and patterns
• eslint.config.mjs - ESLint configuration
• .prettierrc.cjs - Prettier formatting rules

We use ESLint and Prettier to enforce code quality and consistency. Make sure to run linting before submitting PRs:

Lint

yarn lint

Typecheck

yarn typecheck

Environments

The app supports three environments:

1. Development - For local development
2. Preview - For testing before production
3. Production - Live app environment

Each environment has its own configuration in app.config.ts.

Rebuilding after Native Changes

If you add a new library with native dependencies or change configuration in app.config.ts, you'll need to rebuild:

# For iOS
yarn ios:clean

# For Android
yarn android:clean

Release Process

Preview Deployments (Main Branch)

The main branch represents the current preview code. When code is merged to main:

1. For TypeScript-only changes:

   • An over-the-air (OTA) update is deployed via EAS Update
   • No version increment occurs

2. For native changes (iOS/Android/package.json):

   • A new native build is triggered via EAS Build
   • Minor version is automatically incremented
   • App is submitted to TestFlight and Play Store internal testing
   • Source maps are uploaded to Sentry

Production Deployments (Production Branch)

The production branch represents the current production code. When main is merged to production:

1. If versions match between main and production:

   • An over-the-air (OTA) update is deployed via EAS Update
   • No version increment occurs

2. If versions differ:

   • A new native build is triggered via EAS Build
   • App is submitted to App Store and Play Store production
   • Source maps are uploaded to Sentry

Note: Production deployments are carefully managed to ensure version consistency. The system waits for any in-progress preview deployments to complete before proceeding with production deployment.

For more details on the deployment process, see the GitHub Actions workflows in .github/workflows/preview-deployment.yml and .github/workflows/production-deployment.yml.

Troubleshoot

If you're having trouble with installation or the build process, try running yarn clean to remove the build directories and reinstall dependencies.

Contributing

See our contribution guide to learn more about contributing to this project.