Build & Deployment

Build Command

npm run generate

Runs nuxt generate which outputs static files to .output/public/, then runs scripts/generate_live_update_package.js which creates the live update ZIP + manifest.

All rendering is client-side (SPA, ssr: false). Secrets are injected at build time.

Live Updates

The app supports OTA (over-the-air) content updates without going through the App Store or Google Play.

How It Works

1. nuxt generate builds the static files
2. scripts/generate_live_update_package.js creates:
   • dist/update/live-update.zip — compressed web assets
   • dist/update/manifest.json — version descriptor
3. The ZIP + manifest are deployed to the live update server
4. On app launch, @medipal/mp-mobile-app-live-update checks for a newer manifest version
5. If found, downloads and extracts the ZIP, then reloads the app

When to Use

Live updates are suitable for content-only changes (UI text, style tweaks, questionnaire logic). Native code changes (capacitor.config.ts, new Capacitor plugins, ios/, android/) still require a full App Store submission.

Docker

Multi-stage build:

# Stage 1: Builder
FROM node:20-alpine AS builder
# Installs deps, runs nuxt generate
# Secrets mounted via BuildKit

# Stage 2: Runtime
FROM nginx:alpine
# Copies .output/public/
# Serves static files via Nginx
# No Node.js in production image

BuildKit Secrets

Secrets are mounted from .secrets/ (never committed) via Docker BuildKit — they are not baked into the image:

Secret	Description
GIGET_AUTH	GitHub PAT for private @medipal npm packages
NPM_TOKEN	npm registry token for @medipal packages
API_URL	Main backend URL
TRACKER_API_URL	Tracker API URL
TRACKER_API_KEY	Tracker API key
CRYPTO_KEY	AES key for deep link decryption

Nginx

The Nginx runtime stage serves the SPA with:

• All routes fall back to index.html (required for client-side routing)
• Gzip compression for static assets
• Cache headers for versioned assets

CI/CD

Branch → Environment

Branch	Environment
development	Dev
staging	Staging
main	Production (manual trigger or tag)

Pipeline

Push to branch
    → GitHub Actions (shared from medipal/mp-github-actions)
    → Docker build (BuildKit secrets)
    → Push to AWS ECR
    → Deploy to AWS EC2 (pull new image, restart container)

Native App Builds

Native builds (iOS/Android) are a separate process from the web deployment:

# 1. Build web assets
npm run generate

# 2. Sync to native projects
npx cap sync

# iOS
npx cap open ios      # Opens Xcode
# Archive → distribute via TestFlight / App Store

# Android
npx cap open android  # Opens Android Studio
# Build signed APK → Google Play

Live updates reduce native releases

Most UI and logic changes can be shipped via live update without a new native binary. Only ship a new native binary when Capacitor plugins, native permissions, or capacitor.config.ts change.

Version Bumping

When releasing:

1. Update CHANGELOG.md — move unreleased entries to a versioned section
2. Bump version in package.json:
   • MAJOR — breaking changes
   • MINOR — new features (backward-compatible)
   • PATCH — bug fixes

Both in the same commit as the change.