react-native-nitro-update

react-native-nitro-update

OTA (over-the-air) updates for React Native using Nitro and JSI. Check for updates, download bundles, reload, rollback, and manage lifecycle with optional checksum verification, retries, and manifest-based version checks.

Install

npm install react-native-nitro-update
# or
yarn add react-native-nitro-update
# or
bun add react-native-nitro-update

Peer dependencies: react, react-native, react-native-nitro-modules (install this explicitly in your app). The repo supports Bun (bun install, bun run <script>); root package.json sets packageManager for Bun.

Quick setup (interactive wizard) — after installing:

npx react-native-nitro-update setup
# or, if you added the script: npm run setupOTA

The wizard asks how you want to host OTA (GitHub branch, S3, Firebase, API, etc.), then generates config files and a code snippet for your app. It also adds an ota:build script so you can build the OTA zip with one command.

Using this in another project? See INTEGRATION.md for step-by-step: install, iOS/Android native wiring, JS auto-update snippet, hosting (e.g. GitHub Releases), and building the OTA zip.

CLI

The package ships a single CLI with three commands. Run from your project root (where package.json and ios/ or android/ live):

Command	Description
npx react-native-nitro-update build	Build OTA bundle zip (runs react-native bundle + zip). Version is auto-detected from your native project.
npx react-native-nitro-update doctor	Diagnose setup: Podfile, iOS sources, MainApplication / jsBundleFilePath, Swift settings, Metro. Use --json for CI.
npx react-native-nitro-update setup	Interactive wizard: hosting choice, config generation, OTA_BOOTSTRAP.md, native/JS snippets.
npx react-native-nitro-update bootstrap	Write OTA_BOOTSTRAP.md only (checklist + snippets; reads ota-config.js baseUrl if present).

Building the OTA zip (recommended)

Use the package-hosted build command so you get improvements with every package update — no generated scripts to maintain:

# Auto-generates OTA version from native version + build number + UTC stamp
npx react-native-nitro-update build --platform ios

# Explicit version and platform
npx react-native-nitro-update build --platform android --version 1.0.2

# Both platforms, custom output directory
npx react-native-nitro-update build --platform both --output ./my-ota

Options: --platform ios|android|both (default: ios), --version <string> (explicit override), --entry <file> (default: index.js), --output <dir> (default: ./ota-output), --dev. Run npx react-native-nitro-update build --help for details. By default, version.txt is generated as <nativeVersion>+ota.<build>.<UTCSTAMP> (example: 1.1.100+ota.100.202603191230) to avoid collisions with future App Store/Play Store versions. When this +ota format is used, native checkForUpdate only accepts OTA versions whose <nativeVersion> matches the currently running app version.

After running, upload ota-output/version.txt and ota-output/bundle.zip to your CDN, GitHub Release, or S3. You can add a script to package.json:

"ota:build": "npx react-native-nitro-update build --platform ios"

Then run npm run ota:build whenever you want to ship an OTA.

Step-by-step: How to use this library

• Install the package and peer dependency (see above).

• Host two URLs somewhere (your server, CDN, S3, or GitHub):

  • A version URL that returns a single version string (e.g. 1.0.0) or a JSON manifest.
  • A download URL that serves a zip file containing your JS bundle (and optionally assets). The zip can contain the bundle at the root or in a subfolder; the library can auto-detect or you can pass bundlePathInZip.

• Wire native so the app loads the OTA bundle when present:

  • iOS: In AppDelegate, use NitroUpdateBundleManager.getStoredBundleURL() in your bundleURL() (see Native setup – iOS). Add the NitroUpdateBundleManager pod in the Podfile if needed.
  • Android: When building the React Native host, use NitroUpdateBundleLoader.getStoredBundlePath(context); when it’s non-null, load the JS bundle from that path (see Native setup – Android).
  • Native loaders automatically recover from unconfirmed OTA crash loops (pendingValidation), so host apps do not need custom rollback patches in AppDelegate/MainApplication.

• In your app (JS): Call checkForUpdate(versionUrl). If it returns true, call downloadUpdate(downloadUrl), then reloadApp(). After the app restarts on the new bundle, call confirmBundle() once you know the new bundle runs correctly (e.g. after a successful API call or screen load).

• Optional: Use checkForUpdateFromManifest(manifestUrl) for a JSON manifest with version, minAppVersion, bundleUrl, checksum, etc. Use downloadUpdateWithRetry() for retries. Use scheduleBackgroundCheck(versionUrl, downloadUrl, intervalSeconds) so the app checks for updates in the background (iOS: add Background Modes + task identifier; see Background check).

• If something goes wrong: Call rollbackToPreviousBundle() then reloadApp(), or markCurrentBundleAsBad(reason). Use getRollbackHistory() and onRollback() for analytics or UI.

That’s the full flow: host version + zip → native loads stored bundle when present → JS checks, downloads, reloads, confirms.

When does the OTA apply for users? If you ship a physical (release) build and host the zip on a GitHub release: the app checks for updates shortly after launch, downloads the new bundle in the background while the user keeps using the app, then (in the example) calls reloadApp() so the next cold start loads the new bundle. For a step-by-step diagram and “you do this / user sees this”, see the example’s OTA-FLOW.md.

Native setup

React Native 0.76+ templates usually use a Swift factory delegate (bundleURL() / sourceURL(for:)) and Android getDefaultReactHost. Canonical copy-paste sources:

• iOS: AppDelegate.swift in the example app
• Android: MainApplication.kt in the example app

See INTEGRATION.md for Podfile, ObjC, and older ReactNativeHost patterns.

iOS — load OTA bundle

Use the NitroUpdateBundleManager pod (Swift + ObjC/ObjC++, no C++) in AppDelegate so the app target does not pull in C++ headers. Add the bundle manager pod from the same path as the main library, then in your delegate:

import NitroUpdateBundleManager

// In your RCTDefaultReactNativeFactoryDelegate (or similar):
override func bundleURL() -> URL? {
#if DEBUG
  return RCTBundleURLProvider.sharedSettings().jsBundleURL(forBundleRoot: "index")
#else
  if let otaURL = NitroUpdateBundleManager.getStoredBundleURL() {
    return otaURL
  }
  return Bundle.main.url(forResource: "main", withExtension: "jsbundle")
#endif
}

Podfile: If CocoaPods does not resolve NitroUpdateBundleManager automatically (the main NitroUpdate pod depends on it), add:

pod 'NitroUpdateBundleManager', :path => '../node_modules/react-native-nitro-update'

(Adjust the path if your app lives in a subdirectory; e.g. from example/ios use ../../node_modules/react-native-nitro-update.) NitroUpdateBundleManager.getStoredBundleURL() includes automatic recovery if a pending OTA bundle crashes before confirmBundle().

If your app uses AppDelegate.m/AppDelegate.mm, use the ObjC API:

#import <NitroUpdateBundleManager/NitroUpdateBundleManagerObjC.h>

- (NSURL *)bundleURL
{
#if DEBUG
  return [[RCTBundleURLProvider sharedSettings] jsBundleURLForBundleRoot:@"index"];
#else
  NSURL *otaURL = [NitroUpdateBundleManagerObjC getStoredBundleURL];
  return otaURL ?: [[NSBundle mainBundle] URLForResource:@"main" withExtension:@"jsbundle"];
#endif
}

Do not add custom host-side rollback/crash patching in AppDelegate; loader and crash-guard rollback are handled by this library.

Android — load OTA bundle

New Architecture default (getDefaultReactHost, RN 0.76+): pass the OTA path as jsBundleFilePath (see example MainApplication.kt):

import com.facebook.react.defaults.DefaultReactHost.getDefaultReactHost
import com.margelo.nitro.nitroupdate.NitroUpdateBundleLoader

override val reactHost: ReactHost by lazy {
  getDefaultReactHost(
    context = applicationContext,
    packageList = PackageList(this).packages,
    jsBundleFilePath = NitroUpdateBundleLoader.getStoredBundlePath(this),
  )
}

Older ReactNativeHost: override getJSBundleFile() (or equivalent) to return NitroUpdateBundleLoader.getStoredBundlePath(this) when non-null in release.

NitroUpdateBundleLoader.getStoredBundlePath(context) includes the same automatic pending-validation crash recovery on Android.

Quick start

import {
  checkForUpdate,
  downloadUpdate,
  getStoredVersion,
  reloadApp,
  confirmBundle,
  rollbackToPreviousBundle,
} from 'react-native-nitro-update'

// Check
const hasUpdate = await checkForUpdate('https://example.com/version.txt')

// Download (and optionally confirm after a successful run)
if (hasUpdate) {
  await downloadUpdate('https://example.com/bundle.zip')
  reloadApp()
  // After app restarts, call confirmBundle() once the new bundle runs successfully
  confirmBundle()
}

// Stored version (null if none)
const version = getStoredVersion()

// Rollback if needed
const didRollback = await rollbackToPreviousBundle()
if (didRollback) reloadApp()

API overview

API	Description
checkForUpdate(versionCheckUrl)	Returns true if remote version is newer and not blacklisted.
downloadUpdate(downloadUrl, bundlePathInZip?, checksum?)	Downloads zip, extracts bundle, optionally verifies SHA-256.
getStoredVersion()	Current stored OTA version or null.
getStoredBundlePath()	Path to the stored bundle (or null).
getAppVersion()	Native app version from Info.plist (iOS) or BuildConfig (Android).
reloadApp()	Restarts the app (iOS/Android).
confirmBundle()	Marks the current bundle as valid; clears rollback data.
rollbackToPreviousBundle()	Restores previous bundle; returns true if rollback was done.
markCurrentBundleAsBad(reason)	Blacklists current version and rolls back if possible.
getBlacklistedVersions()	List of blacklisted version strings.
getRollbackHistory()	Array of { timestamp, fromVersion, toVersion, reason }.
onUpdateLifecycle(callback)	Subscribe to download/rollback/confirm/error events.
onRollback(callback)	Subscribe to rollback events.
scheduleBackgroundCheck(versionCheckUrl, downloadUrl?, intervalSeconds)	Schedules periodic background check (iOS BGTaskScheduler, Android WorkManager). See below.

Retry and manifest:

• downloadUpdateWithRetry(downloadUrl, options?, bundlePathInZip?, checksum?) — exponential backoff retry.
• checkForUpdateFromManifest(manifestUrl, appVersion?) — JSON manifest with version, minAppVersion, targetVersions, bundleUrl, checksum, etc.

See src/index.ts and src/updateManifest.ts for full types and the UpdateManager class.

Lifecycle

• After downloadUpdate, the new bundle is stored and marked pending validation. The app should reloadApp() and then call confirmBundle() once the new bundle has run successfully.
• If the app crashes before confirmBundle(), native bundle loaders automatically recover on next launch by restoring the previous bundle (or embedded fallback when no previous bundle exists).
• You can also call markCurrentBundleAsBad(reason) to blacklist the bad version and force rollback immediately.
• Use onUpdateLifecycle and onRollback for UI or analytics.

Checksum and retry

• Checksum: Pass an optional SHA-256 hex string as the third argument to downloadUpdate. If the extracted bundle’s hash doesn’t match, the update is aborted.
• Retry: Use downloadUpdateWithRetry with RetryOptions (e.g. maxRetries, initialDelayMs, maxDelayMs) for exponential backoff.

Manifest

Use checkForUpdateFromManifest(manifestUrl, appVersion?) with a JSON manifest that can include:

• version — remote bundle version
• minAppVersion — minimum app version (optional)
• targetVersions — optional list of compatible app versions
• bundleUrl, checksum, releaseNotes, etc.

The helper returns hasUpdate, isCompatible, remoteVersion, and metadata for your UI or download step.

Rollback and crash safety

• Before applying a new bundle, the library keeps the previous version and path. If you call confirmBundle(), that backup is cleared.
• If you don’t confirm (e.g. app crashes), the next launch can use the previous bundle; use rollbackToPreviousBundle() or the native loader logic to prefer the last known-good bundle when the current one is pending validation.
• markCurrentBundleAsBad(reason) blacklists the current version and restores the previous bundle so it won’t be offered again.

Comparison with react-native-nitro-ota

This library is inspired by react-native-nitro-ota and follows the same patterns where it makes sense:

Aspect	react-native-nitro-ota	react-native-nitro-update
Tech	Nitro Modules, JSI	Same (Nitro Modules, JSI)
iOS bundle loader	Separate NitroOtaBundleManager pod	Same: NitroUpdateBundleManager pod (Swift + ObjC/ObjC++) to avoid C++ in app target
Version check	Plain ota.version or ota.version.json	Plain version URL or JSON manifest (checkForUpdateFromManifest)
Download	Zip from URL, optional progress	Same + optional SHA-256 checksum
Rollback / blacklist	Yes, crash safety, confirm bundle	Same lifecycle (confirm, rollback, blacklist, history)
Background check	Experimental (WorkManager / BGTaskScheduler)	Implemented: iOS BGTaskScheduler, Android WorkManager (min 15 min)
Extra in this lib	—	Manifest-based check (minAppVersion, targetVersions), retry with backoff, optional checksum, package-hosted build CLI (npx react-native-nitro-update build)

Same idea: check version → download zip → reload → confirm when the new bundle runs OK; rollback and blacklist if it doesn’t.

Host your bundle anywhere (same concept as the original)

You put your bundle zip and version file on any server you want; the app only needs the URLs. The library does not care where they live:

• CDN (e.g. CloudFront, Fastly) — use the version and zip URLs.
• S3 / GCS / Azure Blob — make the version file and zip publicly readable (or use signed URLs) and pass those URLs.
• GitHub — e.g. raw URLs to a file like https://github.com/you/repo/raw/main/ota.version and https://github.com/you/repo/releases/download/v1.0.0/bundle.zip.
• Your own backend — serve a version string and the zip from your API.

So: one version URL (plain text or JSON) and one download URL (the zip). Same concept as react-native-nitro-ota: server-agnostic.

Background check

Call scheduleBackgroundCheck(versionCheckUrl, downloadUrl, intervalSeconds) to run a version check (and optional download) periodically in the background. When an update is found and downloadUrl is set, the library downloads and stores the new bundle; the user gets it on the next app launch (no reload in background).

• Android: Uses WorkManager; minimum interval is 15 minutes.
• iOS: Uses BGTaskScheduler; interval is a hint (system may delay). You must:
  • Enable Background Modes → Background fetch in your app’s capabilities.
  • Add the task identifier to your Info.plist:

    <key>BGTaskSchedulerPermittedIdentifiers</key>
    <array>
      <string>com.nitroupdate.backgroundcheck</string>
    </array>
    

Example:

import { scheduleBackgroundCheck } from 'react-native-nitro-update'

scheduleBackgroundCheck(
  'https://your-cdn.com/version.txt',
  'https://your-cdn.com/bundle.zip',
  3600
)

GitHub OTA helper (react-native-nitro-ota style)

Like react-native-nitro-ota, you can use a githubOTA() helper to build version and download URLs from a GitHub repo:

import { githubOTA, checkForUpdate, downloadUpdate, reloadApp } from 'react-native-nitro-update'

// Option 1: Use Releases (recommended) — one app build; create a new Release for each OTA
const { versionUrl, downloadUrl } = githubOTA({
  githubUrl: 'https://github.com/your-username/your-ota-repo',
  otaVersionPath: 'version.txt',
  bundlePath: 'bundle.zip',
  useReleases: true,
})

// Option 2: Use a branch (raw) — push version.txt and bundle.zip to main
const { versionUrl, downloadUrl } = githubOTA({
  githubUrl: 'https://github.com/your-username/your-ota-repo',
  otaVersionPath: 'version.txt',
  ref: 'main',
  useReleases: false,
})

const hasUpdate = await checkForUpdate(versionUrl)
if (hasUpdate) {
  await downloadUpdate(downloadUrl)
  reloadApp()
}

Option	versionUrl / downloadUrl
useReleases: true	https://github.com/owner/repo/releases/latest/download/version.txt and .../bundle.zip
useReleases: false	https://raw.githubusercontent.com/owner/repo/ref/version.txt and .../bundle.zip

What might be added

• Download progress: Native progress callback (e.g. received / total) exposed to JS so you can show a progress bar (API design exists; native wiring may need completion).
• Expo config plugin: Document or add an Expo config plugin if you use Expo prebuild.

Example app

This repo includes an example app in example/. From the repo root:

npm run example:android
npm run example:ios

See example/README.md for details.

Compatibility with react-native-nitro-modules

This package is kept compatible with current react-native-nitro-modules so consumers do not need patches:

• Swift: Generated autolinking uses HybridView (not RecyclableView).
• C++: The generated Swift bridge does not mark equals() with override (since HybridObject::equals is not virtual in NitroModules).
• Build: Your app Podfile should include NitroUpdate pod utils in post_install:
  • require_relative '../node_modules/react-native-nitro-update/scripts/nitro_update_pod_utils'
  • NitroUpdatePodUtils.apply!(installer) This sanitizes SWIFT_ACTIVE_COMPILATION_CONDITIONS and moves invalid compiler flags to OTHER_SWIFT_FLAGS.

If you hit:

Conditional compilation flags must be valid Swift identifiers (rather than '-enable-bare-slash-regex')

add the Podfile wiring above and re-run cd ios && pod install && cd ...

After running npm run specs (Nitrogen), scripts/post-nitrogen-fix.sh is run automatically to re-apply the Swift and C++ compatibility fixes to the generated files.

Publishing to npm

To publish this package to the public npm registry, see PUBLISHING.md for prerequisites (npm account, 2FA), versioning, and the exact npm publish steps.

License

MIT