capgo-live-updates

Complete guide to implementing live updates in Capacitor apps using Capgo. Covers account creation, plugin installation, configuration, update strategies, and CI/CD integration. Use this skill when users want to deploy updates without app store review.

Capgo Live Updates for Capacitor

Deploy updates to your Capacitor app instantly without waiting for app store review.

When to Use This Skill

• User wants live/OTA updates
• User asks about Capgo
• User wants to skip app store review
• User needs to push hotfixes quickly
• User wants A/B testing or staged rollouts

What is Capgo?

Capgo is a live update service for Capacitor apps that lets you:

• Push JavaScript/HTML/CSS updates instantly
• Skip app store review for web layer changes
• Roll back bad updates automatically
• A/B test features with channels
• Monitor update analytics

Note: Native code changes (Swift/Kotlin/Java) still require app store submission.

Getting Started

Step 1: Create a Capgo Account

1. Go to https://capgo.app
2. Click "Sign Up" or "Get Started"
3. Sign up with GitHub, Google, or email
4. Choose a plan:
   • Free: 1 app, 500 updates/month
   • Solo: $14/mo, unlimited updates
   • Team: $49/mo, team features
   • Enterprise: Custom pricing

Step 2: Install the CLI

bash

npm install -g @capgo/cli

Step 3: Login to Capgo

bash

capgo login
# Opens browser to authenticate

Or use API key:

bash

capgo login --apikey YOUR_API_KEY

Step 4: Initialize Your App

bash

cd your-capacitor-app
capgo init

This will:

• Create app in Capgo dashboard
• Add @capgo/capacitor-updater to your project
• Configure capacitor.config.ts
• Set up your first channel

Step 5: Install the Plugin

If not installed automatically:

bash

npm install @capgo/capacitor-updater
npx cap sync

Configuration

Basic Configuration

typescript

// capacitor.config.ts
import type { CapacitorConfig } from '@capacitor/cli';

const config: CapacitorConfig = {
  appId: 'com.yourapp.id',
  appName: 'Your App',
  webDir: 'dist',
  plugins: {
    CapacitorUpdater: {
      autoUpdate: true,  // Enable automatic updates
    },
  },
};

export default config;

Advanced Configuration

typescript

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    autoUpdate: true,
    // Update behavior
    resetWhenUpdate: true,           // Reset to built-in on native update
    updateUrl: 'https://api.capgo.app/updates', // Default
    statsUrl: 'https://api.capgo.app/stats',    // Analytics

    // Channels
    defaultChannel: 'production',

    // Update timing
    periodCheckDelay: 600,           // Check every 10 minutes (seconds)
    delayConditionsFail: false,      // Don't delay on condition fail

    // Private updates (enterprise)
    privateKey: 'YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY',  // For encrypted updates
  },
},

Implementing Updates

Automatic Updates (Recommended)

With autoUpdate: true, updates are automatic:

typescript

// app.ts - Just notify when ready
import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';

// Tell Capgo the app loaded successfully
// This MUST be called within 10 seconds of app start
CapacitorUpdater.notifyAppReady();

Important: Always call notifyAppReady(). If not called within 10 seconds, Capgo assumes the update failed and rolls back.

Manual Updates

For more control:

typescript

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    autoUpdate: false,  // Disable auto updates
  },
},

typescript

// update-service.ts
import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';

class UpdateService {
  async checkForUpdate() {
    // Check for available update
    const update = await CapacitorUpdater.getLatest();

    if (!update.url) {
      console.log('No update available');
      return null;
    }

    console.log('Update available:', update.version);
    return update;
  }

  async downloadUpdate(update: any) {
    // Download the update bundle
    const bundle = await CapacitorUpdater.download({
      url: update.url,
      version: update.version,
    });

    console.log('Downloaded:', bundle.id);
    return bundle;
  }

  async installUpdate(bundle: any) {
    // Set as next version (applies on next app start)
    await CapacitorUpdater.set(bundle);
    console.log('Update will apply on next restart');
  }

  async installAndReload(bundle: any) {
    // Set and reload immediately
    await CapacitorUpdater.set(bundle);
    await CapacitorUpdater.reload();
  }
}

Update with User Prompt

typescript

import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';
import { Dialog } from '@capacitor/dialog';

async function checkUpdate() {
  const update = await CapacitorUpdater.getLatest();

  if (!update.url) return;

  const { value } = await Dialog.confirm({
    title: 'Update Available',
    message: `Version ${update.version} is available. Update now?`,
  });

  if (value) {
    // Show loading indicator
    showLoading('Downloading update...');

    const bundle = await CapacitorUpdater.download({
      url: update.url,
      version: update.version,
    });

    hideLoading();

    // Apply and reload
    await CapacitorUpdater.set(bundle);
    await CapacitorUpdater.reload();
  }
}

Listen for Update Events

typescript

import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';

// Update downloaded
CapacitorUpdater.addListener('updateAvailable', (info) => {
  console.log('Update available:', info.bundle.version);
});

// Download progress
CapacitorUpdater.addListener('downloadProgress', (progress) => {
  console.log('Download:', progress.percent, '%');
});

// Update failed
CapacitorUpdater.addListener('updateFailed', (info) => {
  console.error('Update failed:', info.bundle.version);
});

// App ready
CapacitorUpdater.addListener('appReady', () => {
  console.log('App is ready');
});

Deploying Updates

Deploy via CLI

bash

# Build your web app
npm run build

# Upload to Capgo
capgo upload

# Upload to specific channel
capgo upload --channel beta

# Upload with version
capgo upload --bundle 1.2.3

Deploy via CI/CD

GitHub Actions

yaml

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy to Capgo

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm install

      - name: Build
        run: npm run build

      - name: Deploy to Capgo
        run: npx @capgo/cli bundle upload
        env:
          CAPGO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CAPGO_TOKEN }}

GitLab CI

yaml

# .gitlab-ci.yml
deploy:
  stage: deploy
  image: node:20
  script:
    - npm install
    - npm run build
    - npx @capgo/cli bundle upload
  only:
    - main
  variables:
    CAPGO_TOKEN: $CAPGO_TOKEN

Channels and Staged Rollouts

Create Channels

bash

# Create beta channel
capgo channel create beta

# Create staging channel
capgo channel create staging

Deploy to Channels

bash

# Deploy to beta (internal testing)
capgo upload --channel beta

# Promote to production
capgo upload --channel production

Staged Rollout

In Capgo dashboard:

1. Go to Channels > production
2. Set rollout percentage (e.g., 10%)
3. Monitor analytics
4. Increase to 50%, then 100%

Device-Specific Channels

typescript

// Assign device to channel
import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';

// For beta testers
await CapacitorUpdater.setChannel({ channel: 'beta' });

// For production users
await CapacitorUpdater.setChannel({ channel: 'production' });

Rollback and Version Management

Automatic Rollback

If notifyAppReady() isn't called within 10 seconds, Capgo automatically rolls back to the previous working version.

Manual Rollback

bash

# List available versions
capgo bundle list

# Rollback to specific version
capgo bundle revert --bundle 1.2.2 --channel production

In-App Rollback

typescript

// Get list of downloaded bundles
const bundles = await CapacitorUpdater.list();

// Rollback to built-in version
await CapacitorUpdater.reset();

// Delete a specific bundle
await CapacitorUpdater.delete({ id: 'bundle-id' });

Self-Hosted Option

For enterprise or privacy requirements:

bash

# Install self-hosted Capgo
docker run -d \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -e DATABASE_URL=postgres://... \
  capgo/capgo-server

Configure app to use self-hosted:

typescript

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    autoUpdate: true,
    updateUrl: 'https://your-server.com/updates',
    statsUrl: 'https://your-server.com/stats',
  },
},

Security

Encrypted Updates

For sensitive apps, enable encryption:

bash

# Generate key pair
capgo key create

# Upload with encryption
capgo upload --key-v2

Configure in app:

typescript

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    autoUpdate: true,
    privateKey: 'YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY',
  },
},

Code Signing

Verify updates are from trusted source:

bash

# Sign bundle
capgo upload --sign

# Verify signature in app
capgo key verify

Monitoring and Analytics

Dashboard Metrics

In Capgo dashboard, view:

• Active devices
• Update success rate
• Rollback rate
• Version distribution
• Error logs

Custom Analytics

typescript

// Track custom events
import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';

// Get current bundle info
const current = await CapacitorUpdater.current();
console.log('Current version:', current.bundle.version);

// Get download stats
const stats = await CapacitorUpdater.getBuiltinVersion();

Troubleshooting

Issue: Updates Not Applying

1. Check notifyAppReady() is called
2. Verify app ID matches Capgo dashboard
3. Check channel assignment
4. Review Capgo dashboard logs

Issue: Rollback Loop

1. App crashes before notifyAppReady()
2. Fix: Ensure notifyAppReady() is called early
3. Temporarily disable updates to debug

Issue: Slow Downloads

1. Enable delta updates (automatic)
2. Optimize bundle size
3. Use CDN (enterprise)

Best Practices

1. Always call notifyAppReady() - First thing after app initializes
2. Test updates on beta channel first - Never push untested to production
3. Use semantic versioning - Makes rollback easier
4. Monitor rollback rate - High rate indicates quality issues
5. Implement error boundary - Catch crashes before rollback
6. Keep native code stable - Native changes need app store

Resources

• Capgo Documentation: https://capgo.app/docs
• Capgo Dashboard: https://web.capgo.app
• Plugin GitHub: https://github.com/Cap-go/capacitor-updater
• Discord Community: https://discord.gg/capgo