Cordova Hot Code Push Alternative in 2026

If you are searching for a Cordova hot code push alternative, it is probably because cordova-hot-code-push-plugin and Microsoft’s CodePush for Cordova both stopped working or stopped being maintained. A maintained option today is @capgo/cordova-updater, a Cordova plugin that brings Capgo live updates to Cordova Android 13+ and Cordova iOS 7+ apps, with channels, rollback and encrypted bundles, without forcing you to migrate to Capacitor first.

The state of Cordova live updates in 2026

cordova-hot-code-push is archived

The nordnet/cordova-hot-code-push repository is archived on GitHub. The last code change was in September 2018 and the last npm release of cordova-hot-code-push-plugin is 1.5.3. It was designed for the Cordova platforms and file based WebView loading of that time. Modern Cordova Android serves the app from https://localhost through a path handler, and Cordova iOS uses WKWebView with an app:// scheme. A plugin that assumes file:// loading does not fit that model, and no one is updating it.

Existing installs may still appear to work if you never update Cordova platforms. That is the trap: you cannot move to a current Cordova Android or Xcode without risking the update mechanism.

CodePush for Cordova is gone

Microsoft archived cordova-plugin-code-push, ended Cordova support in App Center in 2022, and retired the core App Center service, including build, distribution and CodePush, on March 31, 2025. The plugin talked to the CodePush service in App Center, so there is no backend left to serve updates. If you moved to self-hosting the CodePush server, you still depend on an archived client plugin.

Ionic Appflow

cordova-plugin-ionic connected Cordova apps to Ionic Appflow live updates. Ionic has announced Appflow is being wound down, so teams on it are looking for a replacement too. We cover that path in the Appflow alternative guide.

What a replacement needs

Before picking any tool, check it against these requirements:

Capgo for Cordova

@capgo/cordova-updater uses the same JavaScript API as @capgo/capacitor-updater and the same Capgo Cloud backend. Bundles, channels, stats and signing work the same way for Cordova, Capacitor and Electron clients.

Requirements

• Cordova CLI 12+
• Cordova Android 13+ (default https://localhost/ scheme)
• Cordova iOS 7+ (default app://localhost/ scheme)
• cordova-plugin-ionic-webview removed

Check your platforms:

cordova platform ls

Upgrade if needed:

cordova platform rm android && cordova platform add android@latest
cordova platform rm ios && cordova platform add ios@latest

Install

Create the app in Capgo (dashboard or CLI), then add the plugin with your app ID:

bunx @capgo/cli@latest login
bunx @capgo/cli@latest app add com.example.app --name "My Cordova App"

cordova plugin add @capgo/cordova-updater --variable APP_ID=com.example.app
cordova prepare android ios

You can set more options at install time. These are plugin variables, so run cordova prepare after changing them:

cordova plugin add @capgo/cordova-updater \
  --variable APP_ID=com.example.app \
  --variable DEFAULT_CHANNEL=production \
  --variable AUTO_UPDATE=atBackground \
  --variable APP_READY_TIMEOUT=10000

AUTO_UPDATE defaults to atBackground, which downloads updates in the background and applies them the next time the app is backgrounded. Other modes include atInstall, onLaunch and off for fully manual control.

Tell the plugin the app started correctly

This is the one line you cannot skip. Call notifyAppReady() on every launch after deviceready. If a new bundle does not call it within APP_READY_TIMEOUT milliseconds, the plugin marks it as failed and rolls back to the last working bundle.

document.addEventListener('deviceready', async () => {
  const { Updater } = cordova.plugins;
  await Updater.notifyAppReady();
}, false);

Call it after your app has actually rendered, not at the very top of your script, so a bundle that crashes during startup is detected.

Manual update flow

If you set AUTO_UPDATE=off, you control when to check, download and apply:

document.addEventListener('deviceready', async () => {
  const { Updater } = cordova.plugins;
  await Updater.notifyAppReady();

  const latest = await Updater.getLatest();
  if (latest.url && !latest.error) {
    const bundle = await Updater.download({
      url: latest.url,
      version: latest.version,
      checksum: latest.checksum,
    });
    // Applied on next background/restart
    await Updater.next({ id: bundle.id });
  }
});

TypeScript types ship with the package:

import type { UpdaterPlugin } from '@capgo/cordova-updater';

declare const cordova: { plugins: { Updater: UpdaterPlugin } };

Publish an update

Build your www folder and upload it:

bun run build
bunx @capgo/cli@latest bundle upload com.example.app --path ./www --channel production

Put that in CI after your tests. The live updates page shows channel rollouts, stats and rollback from the dashboard.

Migrating from cordova-hot-code-push

1. Remove the old plugin and its config. Delete cordova-hot-code-push-plugin, the chcp section in config.xml, and the cordova-hcp CLI and chcp.json / chcp.manifest generation from your build.
2. Remove cordova-plugin-ionic-webview if present, and test that the app runs on the default Cordova WebView.
3. Upgrade Cordova platforms to Android 13+ and iOS 7+.
4. Install @capgo/cordova-updater and add notifyAppReady().
5. Release a new store build. Old installs keep the old plugin. Only the new binary contains the Capgo updater.
6. Upload your first bundle to a test channel, check it on devices, then promote to production.

Users who do not update from the store stay on the old mechanism until they do. Keep your old update server online during the transition if it still works, or accept that those users get no OTA updates until they install the new binary.

Migrating from CodePush for Cordova

• Replace codePush.sync() calls with notifyAppReady() and either automatic mode or the getLatest / download / next flow.
• Replace deployment keys with channels (DEFAULT_CHANNEL).
• Replace code-push release-cordova with bunx @capgo/cli@latest bundle upload.
• Remove the CodePushDeploymentKey preferences from config.xml.

For a step by step version aimed at App Center users, see the App Center migration guide.

Security and store rules

• Encryption and signing. Set PUBLIC_KEY at install time and use the CLI’s encryption keys, so devices only accept bundles signed for your app.
• Apple and Google policies. Both allow updating interpreted code such as JavaScript over the air, as long as you do not change the app’s purpose or add features that would need review. Native code, new plugins and permission changes need a store release.
• Version targeting. If a bundle needs a native plugin that only exists in a newer binary, target it to that native version. The Capgo docs on live update compatibility explain how.

Troubleshooting

Bundle downloads but the app shows the old version. You are still using cordova-plugin-ionic-webview, or a custom scheme. Remove it and use the defaults.

App rolls back after every update. notifyAppReady() is not called, or it is called after an error. Check the console on the device and confirm the call runs on every start.

iOS build fails after platform upgrade. Cordova iOS 7+ needs a current Xcode. App Store uploads require Xcode 26. You can generate signing assets with the iOS certificate generator. Once you move to Capacitor, Capgo Build can produce signed iOS builds in the cloud without a local Mac.

Updates work on Android but not iOS. Check that the iOS scheme in config.xml is the default app scheme with localhost hostname.

Should you move to Capacitor instead?

You do not have to. Capgo for Cordova exists so you can keep shipping while you decide. Capacitor brings a maintained native layer, Swift Package Manager on iOS, and a larger plugin ecosystem. When you are ready, keep the same Capgo app ID and channels and swap the client plugin. Our Cordova to Capacitor migration guide walks through it.