neo773/sparkle-publisher

Sparkle Publisher is a set of bash scripts that helps macOS app developers automate the tedious process of shipping updates to their users. It was created in response to Microsoft's App Center shutting down, which left developers needing a straightforward way to handle app updates on their own. Instead of manually preparing and distributing each release, developers can run a single command to do it all. When a developer finishes a new version of their app in Xcode, these scripts take over the heavy lifting. They package the app into a DMG file (the standard format for Mac software downloads), get it officially signed and notarized by Apple, and generate the necessary XML files that tell the update system what changed. Then they upload everything to Amazon's cloud storage (S3) and refresh the content delivery network (CloudFront) so users get the update immediately. This is built for indie Mac developers or small teams who distribute apps outside the Mac App Store and use Sparkle, a popular open-source framework for app updates. For example, if you make a menu bar utility or a creative tool and sell it directly from your website, you need a way to push new versions to your customers. These scripts replace what would otherwise be a multi-step manual workflow with a single automated command. The project leans on a few specific tools: DropDMG for creating disk images, Amazon S3 for storage, and CloudFront for fast distribution. It assumes you already have these services set up and configured. The README doesn't go into detail on setup steps, but points to a companion blog post by Cindori that walks through the full configuration. The scripts are released under the MIT license, so they're free to use and modify.