Channels

Channels are the core mechanism for managing app updates in Capgo. They allow you to control how and when your users receive updates, enabling features like A/B testing, staged rollouts, and platform-specific updates.

Understanding Channels

A channel represents a distribution track for your app updates. Each channel can be configured with specific rules and constraints:

• Version Control: Specify which version users receive
• Platform Targeting: Target specific platforms (iOS/Android)
• Update Policies: Control how updates are delivered
• Device Restrictions: Manage which devices can access updates

Channel Configuration Options

• public: Set as default channel for new devices
• disableAutoUpdateUnderNative: Prevent updates when the device’s native app version is newer than the update version available in the channel (e.g., device is on version 1.2.3, but channel has 1.2.2)
• disableAutoUpdate: Control update behavior (“major”, “minor”, “version_number”, “none”)
• ios/android: Enable/disable for specific platforms
• allow_device_self_set: Let devices choose their channel
• allow_emulator: Allow updates on emulator devices
• allow_dev: Allow updates on development builds

Best Practices

1. Testing Channel: Maintain a testing channel for internal validation
2. Staged Rollout: Use multiple channels for gradual update deployment
3. Platform Separation: Create separate channels for iOS and Android when needed
4. Version Control: Use semantic versioning for clear update paths

Endpoints

POST

https://api.capgo.app/channel/

Create or update a channel configuration.

Request Body

type disable_update = "major" | "minor" | "version_number" | "none"
interface ChannelSet {
  app_id: string
  channel: string
  version?: string
  public?: boolean
  disableAutoUpdateUnderNative?: boolean
  disableAutoUpdate?: disable_update
  ios?: boolean
  android?: boolean
  allow_device_self_set?: boolean
  allow_emulator?: boolean
  allow_dev?: boolean
}

Example Request

curl -X POST \
  -H "authorization: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "app_id": "app_123",
    "channel": "beta",
    "version": "1.2.0",
    "public": false,
    "disableAutoUpdate": "minor",
    "ios": true,
    "android": true,
    "allow_emulator": true
  }' \
  https://api.capgo.app/channel/

Success Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

GET

https://api.capgo.app/channel/

Retrieve channel information. Returns 50 channels per page.

Query Parameters

• app_id: Required. The ID of your app
• page: Optional. Page number for pagination
• channel: Optional. Specific channel name to retrieve

Example Requests

# Get all channels
curl -H "authorization: your-api-key" \
  "https://api.capgo.app/channel/?app_id=app_123"

# Get specific channel
curl -H "authorization: your-api-key" \
  "https://api.capgo.app/channel/?app_id=app_123&channel=beta"

# Get next page
curl -H "authorization: your-api-key" \
  "https://api.capgo.app/channel/?app_id=app_123&page=1"

Response Type

interface Channel {
    id: number;
    created_at: string;
    name: string;
    app_id: string;
    version: {
        id: number,
        name: string
    };
    created_by: string;
    updated_at: string;
    public: boolean;
    disableAutoUpdateUnderNative: boolean;
    disableAutoUpdate: boolean;
    allow_emulator: boolean;
    allow_dev: boolean;
}

Example Response

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "production",
      "app_id": "app_123",
      "version": {
        "id": 1,
        "name": "1.0.0"
      },
      "created_at": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "updated_at": "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z",
      "created_by": "user_123",
      "public": true,
      "disableAutoUpdateUnderNative": false,
      "disableAutoUpdate": false,
      "allow_emulator": false,
      "allow_dev": false
    }
  ]
}

DELETE

https://api.capgo.app/channel/

Delete a channel. Note that this will affect all devices using this channel.

Query Parameters

interface Channel {
  channel: string
  app_id: string
}

Example Request

curl -X DELETE \
  -H "authorization: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "app_id": "app_123",
    "channel": "beta"
  }' \
  https://api.capgo.app/channel/

Success Response

{
  "status": "ok"
}

Error Handling

Common error scenarios and their responses:

// Channel not found
{
  "error": "Channel not found",
  "status": "KO"
}

// Invalid version format
{
  "error": "Invalid version format. Use semantic versioning",
  "status": "KO"
}

// Invalid update policy
{
  "error": "Invalid disableAutoUpdate value",
  "status": "KO"
}

// Permission denied
{
  "error": "Insufficient permissions to manage channels",
  "status": "KO"
}

Common Use Cases

1. Beta Testing

{
  "app_id": "app_123",
  "channel": "beta",
  "version": "1.2.0-beta",
  "public": false,
  "allow_emulator": true,
  "allow_dev": true
}

2. Production Rollout

{
  "app_id": "app_123",
  "channel": "production",
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "public": true,
  "disableAutoUpdate": "minor"
}

3. Platform-Specific Updates

{
  "app_id": "app_123",
  "channel": "ios-hotfix",
  "version": "1.2.1",
  "ios": true,
  "android": false
}