Overview Syllabus Training plan

Capacitor: Web to Mobile

Turn a URL into a Play Store & App Store app 12h

Take an existing web app URL and wrap it with Capacitor so it runs as a real Android and iOS app, ready for distribution through Google Play and the Apple App Store. You will prepare your web app, configure Capacitor to point at your production URL, and walk all the way through generating signed builds for testing and release.

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Self-paced. Work through each module at your own speed.
Who this is for

Developers who already have a responsive web app (Django, another backend, or a static site) and want it in the app stores without rewriting everything in a native framework. If your site already works well on mobile and you want a store icon and installable app, this training is for you.

Prerequisites

A deployed or deployable web app URL, familiarity with the command line, Git basics, and comfort working in PyCharm or a similar IDE. For iOS, you will need access to a Mac with Xcode and an Apple Developer account (or you can focus only on Android).

By the end you will be able to:

4 outcomes
  • Prepare a production-ready web app URL for Capacitor wrapping by ensuring HTTPS, responsive behavior, and stable routing.
  • Set up a Capacitor project that points at your web app’s URL, add Android (and optionally iOS), and run the app on emulators or physical devices.
  • Generate and sign Android builds (AAB files) and upload them to Google Play Console for internal testing or production release.
  • Generate iOS builds with Xcode, configure bundle IDs and icons, and submit builds to App Store Connect for TestFlight distribution and review.

Training highlights

4 key themes
  • Capacitor setup pointing to an existing web app URL instead of a bundled SPA build.
  • Android builds, signing keys, and uploads to Google Play Console with internal and closed testing tracks.
  • iOS builds via Xcode, including provisioning profiles, bundle IDs, and App Store Connect setup.
  • Store assets, app icons, splash screens, and a repeatable update process for future releases.
Capacitor: Web to Mobile

Syllabus

4 sections
Week 1

Prepare your web app (routing, HTTPS, responsive UI), initialize Capacitor, point it to your production URL, and run Android builds locally on an emulator or device. You will confirm that navigation and forms work inside the webview.

Week 2

Configure signing keys, create a Google Play listing, and generate signed Android App Bundles (AAB). You will upload a build to an internal testing track and install it through the Play Store interface.

Week 3

Set up a Mac/Xcode environment, create an Apple Developer account, configure bundle identifiers and signing, build iOS binaries, and submit them to App Store Connect for TestFlight testing.

Capstone Project

Publish your own web app as a mobile app to at least one store (internal or testing channel) with icons, splash screens, and store copy that clearly explains what the app does.

Training plan

5 modules

Follow these modules step by step. Each one included concrete tasks so you actually learn and ship something real. You could have treated each module as one focused work session or spread the steps across several days.

Module 1: Prepare the Web App URL

  • Confirm your app runs reliably over HTTPS at a stable, production-ready URL. Test key routes (home, login, dashboard, forms) on both desktop and mobile browsers.
  • Verify that your layout is responsive by testing common pages on multiple screen sizes. Make any necessary CSS adjustments so the site feels native-like on a phone.
  • Check that navigation and routing avoid full-page reloads where possible and handle redirects correctly. Avoid patterns that rely on opening new browser tabs.
  • List the sections and features that must work in the mobile app. Decide whether any admin or debug pages should be hidden or protected from mobile users.

Module 2: Initialize Capacitor and Point to the URL

  • Create a new folder for your mobile wrapper, initialize it with npm init, and install Capacitor CLI packages. Run npx cap init to set the app name and package ID.
  • Configure capacitor.config (or capacitor.config.ts) to set server.url to your production web app URL and server.cleartext to false if you use HTTPS.
  • Add the Android platform with npx cap add android (and iOS with npx cap add ios if you have a Mac). Sync your configuration using npx cap sync.
  • Open the Android project in Android Studio, run it on an emulator or USB-connected device, and confirm that your web app appears and behaves correctly inside the webview.

Module 3: Android Signing and Google Play Console

  • Generate a release signing key using keytool or Android Studio’s built-in tools, and configure Gradle to use this key for release builds.
  • Create an app listing in Google Play Console, reserving a unique application ID that matches your Capacitor package ID. Fill in basic metadata such as title, short description, and screenshots (you can capture from the emulator).
  • Build a signed Android App Bundle (AAB) in release mode from Android Studio or the command line. Verify that the file size and version code look reasonable.
  • Upload the AAB to an internal testing track, review the Play Console warnings, and install the app on a test device through the Google Play testing link.

Module 4: iOS Setup and App Store Connect

  • Set up an Apple Developer account (if you do not already have one) and create an App ID and bundle identifier that match your Capacitor project configuration.
  • Open the iOS project in Xcode, set the correct bundle identifier, team, and signing options, and update the app display name if needed.
  • Configure app icons and a launch screen (splash) that match your brand. Build and run the app on an iOS simulator and, if possible, on a physical iPhone or iPad.
  • Archive the app in Xcode and upload a build to App Store Connect. Set up a TestFlight testing group and invite at least one tester to install and exercise the app.

Practice & Assessment

  • Ship a working test build of your Capacitor-wrapped web app to at least one store channel (Google Play internal testing or TestFlight). Confirm that login, navigation, and form submissions work correctly.
  • Verify navigation, performance, and error handling on real devices. Take notes on any areas where the app feels slower or less native and decide which optimizations to tackle first.
  • Document the full release process in a checklist from 'pull latest web code' through to 'store build submitted', including all commands and UI steps.
  • Plan a v1.1 update that includes at least one improvement based on tester feedback, such as a better icon, improved onboarding text, or a performance tweak.