[CLI Utility] Google Play App Version Code

Retrieve the latest (or next) versionCode for a Google Play App. Useful for automating build scripts.

GitHub Action

Using the CLI is incredibly simple, using the pre-compiled GitHub Action:

jobs:
  job:
    # ...
    steps:
      - name: Setup Google App Version CLI Tool
        uses: inspire-labs-tms-tech/google-play-app-version-code-cli@latest
        with:
          version: latest # CLI version to use (defaults to `latest`
  
      - name: get next version code
        id: version_code
        run: NEXT="$(google-app-version -p com.inspiretmstech.mobile -f "$JSON" next)" && echo "version_code=$NEXT" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
        env:
          JSON: ${{ secrets.GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON }} # rename with your secret, where the secret-value is the copy-pasted output of your service account's credentials.json file

      - name: use next versionCode
        run: echo "next version code - ${{ steps.version_code.outputs.version_code }}"

Setup

Service Account

The CLI uses a Google Service Account JSON file to authenticate.

Setup your service account according to the Expo documentation: https://github.com/expo/fyi/blob/main/creating-google-service-account.md

Ensure to download a JSON version of the key-file.

Install the CLI

Latest Version

# Download the Latest Release
curl -LO https://github.com/inspire-labs-tms-tech/google-play-app-version-code-cli/releases/latest/download/google-app-version.deb

# Install the Latest Release
sudo apt-get install ./google-app-version.deb

# (Optional) Add the Latest Release to Path (to simply call `google-app-version` from any working directory)
sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/google-app-version/bin/google-app-version /usr/bin

Specific Version

# Download a Specific Release
# Replace `v20240613.234416` in the URL with the desired/pinned version
curl -LO https://github.com/inspire-labs-tms-tech/google-play-app-version-code-cli/releases/download/v20240613.234416/google-app-version.deb

# Install the Release
sudo apt-get install ./google-app-version.deb

# (Optional) Add the Release to Path (to simply call `google-app-version` from any working directory)
sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/google-app-version/bin/google-app-version /usr/bin

Usage

• The CLI supports two output modes:

  1. the latest/current versionCode of an application
  2. the next versionCode of an application (just latest + 1)

• The contents of the service account's key.json file should be passed as an environment variable (useful for CI/CD environments)

Example

For an application with a production build versionCode of 14:

Latest

JSON=$(cat ~/key.json) && google-app-version latest -f "$JSON" -p com.company.app
# 14

Next

JSON=$(cat ~/path/to/key.json) && google-app-version next -f "$JSON" -p com.company.app
# 15

Parameters

• Version (Position 0): google-app-version <VERSION>
  • latest: the latest, currently released versionCode of an application
    • google-app-version latest ...
  • next: the next-available versionCode of an application
    • google-app-version next ...

Required Arguments

• JSON File Contents (-f / --file): the contents (not filepath) of a JSON file for the google service account's credentials
  • Note: if the file's contents are stored locally, instead of in an environment variable, you can use the following command structure to load the JSON file's contents into an environment variable:
    • MY_JSON_FILE_CONTENTS=$(cat ~/path/to/key.json) && google-app-version -f "$MY_JSON_FILE_CONTENTS" ...
• Package Name (-p / --package): the package (not application) name
  • this is set the after your first release
  • in the below example image, (Google Play Console > Home > Apps) the package name is com.inspiretmstech.mobile

Optional Arguments

• Verbose Output (-v / --verbose): print debug-level information to the console
• Help (-h / --help): print full documentation and exit
• Version (-V / --version): print the CLI version and exit