preface
As the company grew rapidly, so did the team size, and the efficient distribution of test packages became a pain point. In order to solve this pain point, improve the overall iteration efficiency of the team, and implement the key words of “efficiency” of the technology department, we set up the project of building dewu App distribution platform. Next, I will lead you to understand the construction process of the App distribution platform from three aspects: the distribution process of App, the design of App distribution platform and the diversified exploration of App distribution platform.
App distribution process
Introduction to mainstream test package distribution channels
Before introducing the distribution process of Dewu App, we first need to understand the distribution method of the current relatively mainstream test package.
One is the regular army: Testflight, which is apple’s recommended distribution method. Each App has 10,000 slots, and apple has updated its distribution mechanism so that it can be distributed to users via shared links. Many companies now use Testflight for public beta testing. However, distribution through Testflight requires uploading, binary conversion, and verification, and the test cycle is too long.
The other type is tripartite research, which can quickly distribute test packages, but there is a limit on the number of installations, and more rely on developer certificates.
For enterprises, certificates can be divided into two types: personal certificates and enterprise certificates.
The process of obtaining App test package
After understanding the distribution channels of test kits in the market, let’s review the distribution process of demu App.
- Initial stage: less than 100 people, more comfortable stage, through dandelions to distribute test kits.
- Industrial revolution: Scale up, demand for test pack installations has exploded, and the 100 slots for a developer certificate are no longer enough. This phase eased the pain by adding certificates for simultaneous distribution and purchasing some test ipads.
- Distribution platform: Multi-certificate multi-APP intelligent distribution stage, which really solves the pain points of difficult installation and low efficiency.
- Diversified distribution: in the diversification exploration stage, from the distribution of Testflight test package to the exploration of enterprise distribution and ABM distribution, the diversification of distribution platform is improved.
Difficulties and pain points in distribution
By reviewing the process of dewu App distribution, the following three key pain points can be concluded:
- 100: In the stage of no enterprise, it is difficult to break the limit of 100 people for personal certificate distribution.
- Multiple: There is no self-development stage, poor experience of multi-certificate distribution, difficult to locate problems, and it costs a lot of manpower to support multiple apps.
- 1. During the self-development stage of the distribution platform, the difficulty of unified distribution of multiple certificates and apps was solved.
Dewu App distribution platform design
After understanding the difficulties and pain points in the distribution process of test package, we prepared and set up a technical project of App distribution platform to solve the problems of difficult installation of test package, low efficiency and multi-certificate and multi-APP support cost.
The design of distribution platform is mainly distributed in two stages:
- The first stage: lay a solid foundation, draw lessons from the three-party plan, build our own single certificate distribution platform, make it have strong customization ability, prepare for intelligent distribution.
- The second stage: intelligent distribution stage, in this stage, one-click access to test package installation authorization, automatic synchronization certificate configuration, intelligent generation and distribution of exclusive web pages.
Dewu App distribution platform diversified distribution exploration
After two major iterations of App distribution platform launch, can we stop the pace of exploration? Of course the answer is no! Intelligent distribution of multiple certificates can solve the limitation of the number of testers, but the cost of certificate maintenance is relatively high. To solve this problem, we explored the diversity of App distribution platforms.
- Step 1: Explore and implement the possibility of Testflight test package distribution.
By analyzing the demographics of existing test package installers, we found that some users have very low requirements for the duration of the test package, perhaps installing it once or twice a week, or even once or twice a month. For this subset of users, there is some luxury in offering a certificate that Testflight would be better suited to.
The limitations of Testflight distribution, as mentioned earlier, are easy to confuse with online packages and conflict with the App’s grayscale public testing function. We used multi-region subcontracting to cancel the release of a country, independently created an App to distribute the Testflight test package, and delivered the test package automatically at regular intervals to solve this problem.
- Step 2: Exploration of enterprise distribution and ABM distribution.
In the process of applying for the enterprise certificate and communicating with Apple’s technical customer service, he recommended ABM Business Management to me to distribute the internal App of the enterprise, which made me seem to see the dawn. In fact, this is not the case. In order for ABM distribution to meet distribution requirements, it depends on the complete MDM service and the license issued by the enterprise certificate. ABM technical customer service told me that there was no way, it was a chicken-and-egg problem.
During the process of studying the frustrations of ABM distribution, through the study of documentation and communication with ABM technical customer service, WE found that ABM distribution can be divided into simple MDM and complete MDM and exchange code distribution.
- Simple MDM: This mode relies on the file manager of the MacOS Server as the MDM service and can manage BYOD device App. However, it has some limitations. The managed AppleId created by ABM cannot be used to register device credentials for users, but only the user name and password of the Server can be used to log in to the registered device.
- Complete MDM: This method relies on the license certificate issued after the enterprise account has applied for ABM Vendor qualification, which is not covered today. (No practice)
- Exchange code distribution: this method only supports distribution of enterprise App. In ABM, only enterprise App can purchase license and exchange code, while commercial App can only purchase license.
Let’s look at ABM distribution from a process that relies on a simple MDM service distribution App.
To get started, familiarize yourself with a few concepts:
- Number of licenses for enterprise or commercial apps purchased by administrators in ABM. Synchronizing to the MDM server by generating authorization files, here is the description file manager.
- The administrator configures the corresponding description file in the Description file manager. Users register their devices through the registration link and the portal provided by the administrator. After registration, in the Description File Manager, administrators can manage these devices and push managed apps to these devices or groups of devices.
- After personnel change or permission change, the administrator can remove the device in the description file manager. After the device is removed, the App pushed to be installed can be automatically removed from the user’s device to protect enterprise data.
A complete MDM service is similar in that it provides more comprehensive functions and an App store can be set up for employees to install. I’ll leave that for the rest of our exploration.
In the future, what can we do?
Article | male
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