Glossary
The app-release & ASO glossary.
Plain-English, self-contained definitions of the terms developers run into when shipping to the App Store and Google Play — from IPA and AAB to code signing, provisioning profiles, ASO, and mobile CI/CD. Each entry stands on its own.
ASO (App Store Optimization)
- App Store Optimization (ASO) is the practice of improving an app's visibility and conversion in the App Store and Google Play by tuning its title, subtitle, keywords, description, and screenshots. It is the mobile equivalent of SEO: better-chosen keywords and storefront assets raise an app's search rank and the share of viewers who install. Release Flight treats ASO as a measurable, repeatable part of every release rather than a one-time guess.
AAB (Android App Bundle)
Android App Bundle
- An Android App Bundle (.aab) is the publishing format Google Play requires for new apps. Instead of a single universal APK, you upload one bundle and Google Play generates and signs optimized APKs tailored to each device's screen density, CPU architecture, and language, so users download a smaller install. Since August 2021 Google Play has required AABs for new app submissions.
APK (Android Package)
Android Package Kit
- An APK (.apk) is the installable package format for an Android app — the binary a device actually runs. You can sideload an APK directly onto a device or distribute it through channels like Firebase App Distribution, but Google Play itself now expects an Android App Bundle (AAB) from which it derives per-device APKs. Release Flight can build an APK, an AAB, or both from your source.
IPA (iOS App Archive)
iOS App Store Package
- An IPA (.ipa) is the packaged, signed iOS application archive you upload to App Store Connect or distribute through TestFlight. It bundles the compiled app, its resources, and the code-signing data that ties the build to your Apple Developer identity and provisioning profile. Release Flight produces a signed IPA from your repository as part of its build pipeline.
Code signing
- Code signing is the process of cryptographically signing an app binary with a developer certificate so the operating system can verify who built it and that it has not been tampered with. Both Apple and Google require signed builds before an app can be installed or distributed: iOS uses signing certificates plus provisioning profiles, while Android signs the AAB or APK with an upload or app-signing key. A correct signature is a hard prerequisite for any store submission.
Provisioning profile
- A provisioning profile is an Apple-issued file that authorizes a specific app (by bundle identifier) to run on specific devices or be distributed through a specific channel, binding together your signing certificate, the App ID, and an entitlements set. Development profiles list registered test devices; distribution profiles authorize App Store or ad-hoc release. Without a matching, unexpired profile, an iOS build will fail to sign or install.
App Store Connect
- App Store Connect is Apple's web portal and API for managing iOS, iPadOS, and macOS apps: store metadata, screenshots, pricing, TestFlight builds, app review submissions, and sales reports. Its App Store Connect API lets tools automate uploads and metadata edits with API keys instead of manual clicks. Release Flight talks to App Store Connect so you can manage iOS releases without leaving its control surface.
Google Play Console
- The Google Play Console is Google's web portal and API for publishing and managing Android apps: store listings, release tracks (internal, closed, open, production), Android App Bundles, content ratings, and statistics. The Google Play Developer API enables programmatic uploads and listing updates. Release Flight integrates with the Play Console so Android metadata, assets, and deploys live alongside their iOS counterparts.
TestFlight
- TestFlight is Apple's beta-distribution service, part of App Store Connect, for sending pre-release iOS builds to internal and external testers before a public App Store launch. Internal testers get builds immediately; external groups require a lightweight Apple review of the first build. It is the standard way to gather feedback on an iOS app without shipping to the live store.
fastlane
- fastlane is an open-source toolchain that automates iOS and Android release chores — building, code signing, screenshot generation, and uploading metadata and binaries to App Store Connect and Google Play — through Ruby scripts called "lanes." It is widely used but requires you to write and maintain those scripts yourself. Release Flight covers the same metadata, screenshot, build, and deploy work through a visual, self-hosted control surface instead of hand-written lanes.
Keyword optimization
- Keyword optimization is the ASO discipline of choosing the search terms an app should rank for and placing them where each store weights them most — Apple's dedicated 100-character keyword field and app title, or Google Play's title, short description, and full description. The goal is to match high-intent queries with realistic competition, then track rank movement over time. Release Flight's ASO intelligence researches keywords and tracks ranks against real store data.
Store metadata
- Store metadata is the text and configuration that describes an app on its storefront: title, subtitle, description, keywords, what's-new release notes, category, and pricing, maintained per locale for every market you ship to. Apple and Google enforce strict, differing character limits and review rules on each field. Release Flight edits metadata for both stores in one place with character-limit guards that match each store's exact rules.
Screenshots & app previews
- Screenshots and app previews are the visual storefront assets — still images and short demo videos — that App Store and Google Play show on a listing, sized to exact per-device dimension requirements. They are one of the strongest drivers of install conversion, so each device class and locale typically needs its own set. Release Flight validates screenshot dimensions against current store requirements before submission and manages App Store app preview videos alongside them.
Mobile CI/CD
Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery
- Mobile CI/CD is the automated pipeline that takes mobile app source code through build, code signing, testing, and delivery to a store or test channel without manual steps. It removes the error-prone "build on someone's laptop" workflow and makes releases repeatable. Release Flight provides a Bitrise-style pipeline that clones your repo, detects the framework, builds a signed IPA, AAB, or APK, and deploys to App Store, Google Play, or Firebase.
Build runner
- A build runner is the machine that actually compiles and signs an app — for iOS this must be a macOS host, because Apple's toolchain only runs on macOS. In Release Flight the build runner is a macOS agent that clones your repository, detects the framework, produces a signed binary, and reports status back to the control surface. Running it on your own hardware keeps source code and signing keys inside your environment.
Row-level security (RLS) & multi-tenancy
Postgres RLS
- Multi-tenancy means a single deployment serves many isolated teams (tenants), and row-level security (RLS) is a Postgres feature that enforces that isolation in the database itself rather than only in application code. With RLS, each query runs under a tenant context and the database returns only that tenant's rows — a missing context yields zero rows, so the system fails closed. Release Flight enforces tenant isolation with Postgres RLS, not just TypeScript checks.
Put these into practice.
Release Flight turns metadata, ASO, code signing, and store deploys into one self-hosted workflow for iOS and Android.