iOS development on Windows without Mac — GitHub Actions

Developing iOS Apps on Windows with GitHub Actions and XcodeGen

Two iOS apps—the encrypted messenger Dark Message and the HVAC engineering calculator—are published on the App Store. They were fully developed on Windows without a MacBook. The process: code is written locally, with building and signing on virtual macOS machines in GitHub Actions. Time from pushing to the repository to building on an iPhone is 15 minutes.

This bypasses the Xcode requirement for macOS. GitHub provides free runners with macOS, where Xcode is installed. Setup includes an Apple Developer Account, XcodeGen for generating the project from YAML, a CI/CD pipeline, and signing certificates.

Development Paths for Different Skill Levels

Choice of approach depends on skills:

• Vibe coding with AI: Claude Code generates SwiftUI code from descriptions. Works in the terminal on Windows. Example prompt: "iOS app in SwiftUI, AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2, input/decryption screens."
• Programmer without a Mac: Your own Swift code + AI sets up infrastructure (XcodeGen, GitHub Actions, certificates).
• Hardcore: Manual project structure, YAML config, pipeline. Iterations via TestFlight without local preview.

Installing Claude Code:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
claude

AI creates files, edits based on feedback. No preview, but cloud builds compensate.

Step 1: Apple Developer Account from Russia

Create an Apple ID at appleid.apple.com (country ≠ Russia). Register at developer.apple.com/programs/enroll as an Individual. Payment $99/year—use a foreign card (Bybit or similar). Access to App Store Connect within 24–48 hours.

Step 2: Project Structure and XcodeGen

XcodeGen generates .xcodeproj from project.yml without Xcode. Example config:

name: DarkMessage
options:
  bundleIdPrefix: com.darkmessage
  deploymentTarget:
    iOS: "15.0"
  xcodeVersion: "15.0"
targets:
  DarkMessage:
    type: application
    platform: iOS
    sources:
      - path: Sources
    resources:
      - path: Resources
    settings:
      base:
        PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER: com.darkmessage.ios
        MARKETING_VERSION: "1.0.0"
        CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION: "1"
        SWIFT_VERSION: "5.9"
        TARGETED_DEVICE_FAMILY: "1,2"
        INFOPLIST_VALUES:
          UILaunchScreen: {}
    dependencies: []

Repository structure:

• Sources/: App.swift, Views/, Models/, Services/ (CryptoService.swift).
• Resources/Assets.xcassets/.
• project.yml.
• .github/workflows/build.yml.

YAML advantages: compact (30 lines), no Git conflicts, editable in VS Code.

Step 3: Repository and GitHub Actions

Initialization:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/user/repo.git
git push -u origin main

Actions runners with macOS build the project: xcodegen generate, xcodebuild, signing, upload to TestFlight/App Store.

Step 4: Code Signing without a Mac

Required:

• Distribution Certificate (.p12).
• Provisioning Profile (.mobileprovision).
• App Store Connect API Key.

Generate CSR on Windows with OpenSSL:

openssl genrsa -out ios_dist.key 2048
openssl req -new -key ios_dist.key -out ios_dist.csr -subj "/CN=Your Name/[email protected]"

Upload CSR to developer.apple.com/account/resources/certificates → Apple Distribution → download .cer. Convert to .p12:

openssl x509 -inform der -in ios_dist.cer -inkey ios_dist.key -out ios_dist.p12

Provisioning Profile: developer.apple.com → Profiles → + → App Store → bundle ID → certificate.

API Key: App Store Connect → Users and Access → Keys → + → App Manager.

Store secrets in GitHub Settings → Secrets: CERTIFICATE_P12_BASE64, PROVISIONING_PROFILE_BASE64, APPSTORE_API_KEY.

Step 5: Workflow YAML for CI/CD

Example .github/workflows/build.yml (simplified):

name: Build iOS
on: [push]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: macos-13
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Generate Xcode project
        uses: maxim-lobanov/setup-xcodegen@v1
        with:
          xcodegen-version: '2.35.0'
      - run: xcodegen generate
      - name: Import certificate
        env:
          CERTIFICATE_P12: ${{ secrets.CERTIFICATE_P12_BASE64 }}
        run: |
          echo $CERTIFICATE_P12 | base64 --decode > cert.p12
          security import cert.p12 -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain
      # ... signing, archive, upload

Full workflow includes xcodebuild archive, xcrun altool or xcrun notarytool for the App Store.

Key Points

• GitHub Actions with macOS are free for public repos (2000 min/month).
• XcodeGen simplifies project management without Xcode.
• Code signing is automated via base64-encoded secrets.
• Iterations: 15 minutes from push to TestFlight.
• Suitable for one-off projects; for production, a Mac speeds up development.

— Editorial Team