Quickstart: migrate from @capgo/capacitor-updater

Move a Capacitor app from @capgo/capacitor-updater to Hotrail by BufferSol by changing three URLs, then use the CLI and CI recipes.

Status

Hotrail by BufferSol is pre-launch. The update API and upload pipeline are being built (milestone M2), so the URLs and commands below are the planned contract. Anything marked coming is not shipped yet.

Change three URLs

If your app already runs @capgo/capacitor-updater in self-hosted mode, the plugin talks to three endpoints. Point them at your Hotrail app and keep the plugin as it is for now.

Swap the plugin for @buffersol/hotrail-updater (MIT, coming) at your next store build. Until then the stock plugin keeps working, because the update API answers the documented self-hosted protocol.

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    updateUrl: "https://hotrail.buffersoltech.com/api/v1/updates/check",
    statsUrl: "https://hotrail.buffersoltech.com/api/v1/updates/stats",
    channelUrl: "https://hotrail.buffersoltech.com/api/v1/updates/channel",
  },
}

Initialize the project

Run init in your project folder. It finds your appId in the Capacitor config, creates your signing key and offers migration mode if it sees @capgo/capacitor-updater in package.json.

bash

npx @buffersol/hotrail init

Upload, release, roll back

Upload hashes your build folder, sends only files the server does not already have, signs the manifest and rejects native files. Release points a channel at a bundle. Rollback reverses the channel to its previous bundle.

bash

npx @buffersol/hotrail upload --dir dist
npx @buffersol/hotrail release --channel production --bundle 2K47 --percent 10 --autopause 0.02
npx @buffersol/hotrail status
npx @buffersol/hotrail rollback --channel production

CI recipe: GitHub Actions (coming)

A published recipe is coming with the update API. The shape will be a job that builds your web app, then runs upload and release with an API key from your repository secrets.

yaml

# .github/workflows/hotrail.yml (stub, not yet runnable; set APP_VERSION to your release version)
name: hotrail
on: { push: { branches: [main] } }
jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    env:
      HOTRAIL_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.HOTRAIL_API_KEY }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: npm ci && npm run build
      - run: npx @buffersol/hotrail upload --dir dist
      - run: npx @buffersol/hotrail release --channel beta --version "$APP_VERSION"

CI recipe: GitLab CI (coming)

Same steps in GitLab CI. Store the key as a masked CI/CD variable named HOTRAIL_API_KEY.

yaml

# .gitlab-ci.yml (stub, not yet runnable; set APP_VERSION as a CI variable)
hotrail:
  image: node:22
  script:
    - npm ci && npm run build
    - npx @buffersol/hotrail upload --dir dist
    - npx @buffersol/hotrail release --channel beta --version "$APP_VERSION"

Coming from Ionic Appflow

Ionic Appflow access ends 31 Dec 2027 (Ionic announcement, checked 3 Nov 2026). An import guide is coming. The web layer moves the same way as above: new channel, upload, release.