native-update/docs/ROADMAP.md

Foundation package for building a comprehensive update system for Capacitor apps. Provides architecture and interfaces but requires backend implementation.

# Capacitor Native Update - Development Roadmap

This document outlines what needs to be built to make this package production-ready.

## 🚨 Current Status: Foundation Only

This package provides architecture and interfaces but requires significant development before production use.

## 📋 Required Components for Production

### 1. Backend Infrastructure (Critical)

#### Update Server
- [ ] REST API endpoints for update management
- [ ] Version management system
- [ ] Bundle storage and retrieval
- [ ] Update manifest generation
- [ ] Channel management (production, staging, dev)
- [ ] Analytics and monitoring endpoints

#### Security Infrastructure
- [ ] Bundle signing service
- [ ] Public/private key management
- [ ] Encryption implementation
- [ ] Certificate management
- [ ] Checksum generation

#### CDN Integration
- [ ] Bundle distribution setup
- [ ] Geographic distribution
- [ ] Caching strategies
- [ ] Bandwidth optimization

### 2. Native Platform Implementation

#### iOS (Swift)
- [ ] Verify existing Swift implementation
- [ ] Complete missing functionality
- [ ] Test all plugin methods
- [ ] Handle edge cases
- [ ] Memory management optimization
- [ ] Background task handling

#### Android (Kotlin)
- [ ] Verify existing Kotlin implementation
- [ ] Complete missing functionality
- [ ] Test all plugin methods
- [ ] Handle Android lifecycle
- [ ] Permission management
- [ ] Background service implementation

### 3. Testing Suite

#### Unit Tests
- [ ] TypeScript plugin tests
- [ ] iOS native tests
- [ ] Android native tests
- [ ] Web implementation tests

#### Integration Tests
- [ ] Cross-platform compatibility
- [ ] Update flow testing
- [ ] Rollback scenarios
- [ ] Network failure handling

#### E2E Tests
- [ ] Complete update lifecycle
- [ ] Multi-version updates
- [ ] Security validation
- [ ] Performance benchmarks

### 4. Tooling and Utilities

#### Bundle Management
- [ ] Bundle creation CLI tool
- [ ] Bundle signing utility
- [ ] Version management tool
- [ ] Deployment scripts

#### Developer Tools
- [ ] Local testing server
- [ ] Debug utilities
- [ ] Migration tools
- [ ] Documentation generator

### 5. Production Features

#### Monitoring
- [ ] Update success metrics
- [ ] Error tracking
- [ ] Performance monitoring
- [ ] User analytics

#### Advanced Features
- [ ] Delta update implementation
- [ ] Partial rollouts
- [ ] A/B testing support
- [ ] Multi-app management

## 🎯 Implementation Priority

### Phase 1: Core Infrastructure (Required)
1. Basic update server
2. Native platform verification
3. Security implementation
4. Basic testing

### Phase 2: Production Readiness
1. CDN integration
2. Monitoring and analytics
3. Advanced tooling
4. Performance optimization

### Phase 3: Enterprise Features
1. Delta updates
2. Advanced rollout strategies
3. Multi-tenant support
4. Enterprise security

## 📝 Getting Started

If you want to use this package, you should:

1. **Build the update server first** - Without this, nothing will work
2. **Test native implementations** - Ensure they work on real devices
3. **Create basic tooling** - At minimum, bundle creation and signing
4. **Add monitoring** - Know when updates succeed or fail

## ⏱️ Estimated Development Time

- **Minimum Viable Implementation**: 2-3 months
- **Production-Ready Solution**: 4-6 months
- **Enterprise-Grade System**: 6-12 months

## 🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Focus areas:
- Backend server examples
- Native platform testing
- Security implementations
- Testing frameworks

See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.