Android

This guide will help build Android projects on Semaphore.

Overview

Semaphore provides a set of Docker images tailored for Android developers. These pre-built images ship with the Android SDK and other common build tools for Android projects.

These images can be used both for Android and React Native projects. Semaphore also supports using Android emulators inside CI jobs.

How to use Android containers

Use Docker Environments to run jobs inside pre-built Android images.

Editor

To use an Android container in your pipeline, follow these steps:

1. Open the pipeline

2. Select "Docker Containers" in Environment Type

3. Choose a machine

4. Type the name of the Image. Use one of the available Android SDK images

   

5. Configure your jobs

6. Press Run the workflow

YAML

To configure your Android container using YAML, follow these steps:

1. Open the pipeline file

2. Type the agent definition: select a machine type and os_image

3. Add a containers list

   Android containers

   version: v1.0
   name: Initial Pipeline
   agent:
     machine:
       type: e1-standard-2
       os_image: ubuntu2004
     containers:
       - name: main
         image: 'registry.semaphoreci.com/android:34'
   blocks:
     - name: 'Block #1'
       dependencies: []
       task:
         jobs:
           - name: 'Job #1'
             commands:
               - checkout

4. The first item name: main and in image select one of the available Android SDK images

5. Save the file and push it to the repository

Example for React Native

This section shows how to configure a pipeline to build and test a React Native project using Android containers.

Editor

1. Use an Android container. You need one of the image variants that ship with Node.js, e.g. android:34-node

2. Create a Build/Install block with the following commands

   checkout
   cache restore
   npm install
   cache store

3. Create a second test block with the following prologue. This starts the Android emulator

   checkout
   sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-34" "emulator"
   sdkmanager "system-images;android-34;default;armeabi-v7a"
   echo no | avdmanager create avd -n Nexus_S_API_34 -k "system-images;android-34;default;armeabi-v7a" --device "Nexus S"

4. Type the following commands in the test job

   cache restore
   npm test

   

5. Optionally, add more test jobs as needed

6. Press Run the workflow

YAML

1. Open the pipeline file
2. Configure the Android container
3. Create a Build/Install block to install dependencies
4. Add a second block to run your tests
5. Save your file and push it to the repository

version: v1.0
name: React Native example
agent:
  machine:
    type: e1-standard-2
    os_image: ubuntu2004
  # Use an image with Node.js for React Native  
  containers:
    - name: main
      image: 'registry.semaphoreci.com/android:29-node'
blocks:
  # Install block
  - name: Install
    task:
      jobs:
        - name: npm install
          commands:
            - checkout
            - cache restore
            - npm install
            - cache store
  # Test block
  - name: Test
    task:
      # Prologue starts emulator
      prologue:
        commands:
          - checkout
          - sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-34" "emulator"
          - sdkmanager "system-images;android-34;default;armeabi-v7a"
          - echo no | avdmanager create avd -n Nexus_S_API_34 -k "system-images;android-34;default;armeabi-v7a" --device "Nexus S"
      # Test jobs
      jobs:
        - name: Run tests
          commands:
            - cache restore
            - npm test

Building custom images

You can find the pre-build Android images in the Semaphore Container Registry.

The image definition and Dockerfiles for these images can be found in the repository semaphoreci/docker-images. Clone this repository to build your own image variants.

There are Docker images for each recent version of Android. There are also variants with Node.js preinstalled for React Native development:

• android:<version>: basic image with development utilities
• android:<version>-node: basic image extended with Node.js
• android:<version>-flutter: basic image extended with Flutter toolchain

Android SDK images

These are the pre-built Android images available:

• android:34
• android:34-node
• android:34-flutter
• android:33
• android:33-node
• android:33-flutter
• android:31
• android:31-node
• android:31-flutter
• android:30
• android:30-node
• android:30-flutter
• android:29
• android:29-node
• android:29-flutter
• android:28
• android:28-node
• android:28-flutter
• android:27
• android:27-node
• android:27-flutter
• android:26
• android:26-node
• android:26-flutter
• android:25
• android:25-node
• android:25-flutter
• android:24
• android:24-node
• android:23
• android:23-node

Pre-installed software

• ARM simulator (libqt5widgets5)
• Google Cloud SDK
• apt
• apt-transport-https
• build-essential
• bzip2
• ca-certificates
• curl
• docker
• docker-compose
• git
• gnupg
• gradle
• gzip
• jq
• lftp
• locales
• lsb-release
• maven
• mercurial
• net-tools
• netcat
• openssh-client
• parallel
• ruby 2.6.1
• software-properties-common
• sudo
• tar
• tree
• unzip
• vim
• wget
• xvfb
• zip