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GitHub Actions - Cross-Platform Build Setup

✅ What I Created For You

File: .github/workflows/build.yml

This GitHub Actions workflow will automatically build your desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux whenever you push a new version tag.

🚀 How It Works

Automatic Builds on 3 Platforms:

  1. Windows (runs on Windows server)

    • Builds .exe installer
    • No code signing (same as your local build)

  2. macOS (runs on macOS server)

    • Builds .dmg installer
    • No code signing (CSC_IDENTITY_AUTO_DISCOVERY disabled)

  3. Linux (runs on Ubuntu server)

    • Builds .AppImage, .deb, and .rpm
    • Works on all major distros

Triggered By:

  • Pushing a version tag (e.g., v1.0.0)
  • Manual trigger via GitHub UI

📋 Setup Steps

1. Push Your Code to GitHub

cd d:\FileShot.io\desktop-app

# Initialize git (if not already)
git init

# Add remote (replace with your repo URL)
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/fileshot-desktop.git

# Add all files
git add .

# Commit
git commit -m "Initial desktop app commit"

# Push to GitHub
git push -u origin main

2. The Workflow is Already There

The .github/workflows/build.yml file I created will be pushed with your code. GitHub will automatically detect it.

3. Create a Release Tag

# Tag your current version
git tag v1.0.0

# Push the tag
git push origin v1.0.0

That's it! GitHub Actions will automatically:

  1. Build Windows installer
  2. Build macOS installer
  3. Build Linux installers
  4. Create a GitHub Release with all files attached

📥 Where to Find Built Files

Option 1: GitHub Releases

  • Go to your repo: https://github.com/yourusername/fileshot-desktop/releases
  • Find your release (e.g., v1.0.0)
  • Download the installers:
    • FileShot-Setup-1.0.0.exe (Windows)
    • FileShot-1.0.0.dmg (macOS)
    • FileShot-1.0.0.AppImage (Linux)
    • FileShot-1.0.0.deb (Debian/Ubuntu)
    • FileShot-1.0.0.rpm (Fedora/RedHat)

Option 2: Actions Artifacts

  • Go to Actions tab in your repo
  • Click on the workflow run
  • Download artifacts from each job

💰 Cost: 100% FREE

  • GitHub Actions is free for public repositories
  • 2,000 minutes/month free for private repos
  • Each build takes ~5-10 minutes
  • You can do 200+ builds per month for free

🎯 Benefits

vs Building Locally:

✅ No need for Mac - GitHub provides macOS runners ✅ No need for Linux VM - GitHub provides Ubuntu runners ✅ Consistent builds - Same environment every time ✅ Automatic releases - Files uploaded to GitHub automatically ✅ Version control - Every build is tagged and tracked

vs Manual Cross-Platform:

✅ Saves hours - No switching between systems ✅ No setup - No VMs, no dual boot, no remote machines ✅ Parallel builds - All 3 platforms build simultaneously ✅ Professional - Industry-standard CI/CD

🔧 Customization

Build on Every Push (Not Just Tags):

Change this in build.yml:

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]  # Build on every push to main
  workflow_dispatch:

Add Code Signing Later:

When you get certificates, add secrets to GitHub:

  1. Go to repo Settings → Secrets
  2. Add CSC_LINK (certificate file base64)
  3. Add CSC_KEY_PASSWORD (certificate password)
  4. Update workflow to use them

Change Node Version:

- name: Setup Node.js
  uses: actions/setup-node@v3
  with:
    node-version: '20'  # Change to 20 if needed

📝 Next Steps

Immediate:

  1. ✅ Push code to GitHub
  2. ✅ Create v1.0.0 tag
  3. ✅ Wait 10-15 minutes for builds
  4. ✅ Download all installers from Releases

After First Build:

  1. Upload installers to your server
  2. Update desktop.html with download links
  3. Remove "Coming Soon" from Mac/Linux
  4. Announce cross-platform support!

Future:

  1. Add code signing certificates
  2. Set up auto-updates
  3. Add build notifications (Slack/Discord)
  4. Add automated testing

🐛 Troubleshooting

Build Fails:

  • Check Actions tab for error logs
  • Most common: Missing dependencies in package.json
  • Fix: Add missing packages and push again

macOS Build Fails:

  • Usually code signing issues
  • Solution: Keep CSC_IDENTITY_AUTO_DISCOVERY: false

Linux Build Fails:

  • Usually missing system dependencies
  • Solution: Add to workflow: 
    - name: Install Linux dependencies
  run: sudo apt-get install -y libgtk-3-0 libnotify4

🎉 Summary

GitHub Actions gives you:

  • ✅ Free cross-platform builds
  • ✅ No need for Mac or Linux machines
  • ✅ Automatic releases
  • ✅ Professional CI/CD pipeline

Time to first cross-platform release: ~20 minutes

Just push your code, create a tag, and let GitHub do the work!