← Back to Dark Matter

Quick Start

Zero to OTA update in 5 minutes.
Let's ship.

What You'll Build

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

• A Dark Matter account (no credit card required)
• The SDK integrated into your React Native app
• Your first OTA update live in production

Step 1: Install the CLI

One command installs the Dark Matter CLI:

$ curl -fsSL https://dark-matter.io/install.sh | sh

This downloads the CLI for your platform and adds it to your PATH.

Step 2: Install the SDK

Add Dark Matter to your React Native app:

$ npm install darkmatter-react-native

Or with yarn:

$ yarn add darkmatter-react-native

Step 3: Set Up Your Account

Launch Dark Matter from your React Native project root:

$ darkmatter

On first launch, the setup wizard guides you through:

1. Enter your email — We'll send a 6-digit verification code
2. Enter the code — Check your inbox, no password needed
3. Name your app — How it appears in your dashboard

When complete, the wizard creates a config file in your project:

✓ Config written to ./darkmatter.config.js

Step 4: Initialize in Your App

Add Dark Matter to your app's entry point (usually App.tsx or index.js):

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { initialize, useUpdate } from 'darkmatter-react-native';

// Initialize once at app start
initialize({
  baseUrl: 'https://api.dark-matter.io/functions/v1',
  appId: 'your-app-id',  // From setup wizard
  channel: 'production',
});

export default function App() {
  const { status, check, apply } = useUpdate();

  // Check for updates on mount
  useEffect(() => { check(); }, []);

  if (status.type === 'ready') {
    return <Button title="Restart to Update" onPress={() => apply({ restartImmediately: true })} />;
  }

  return <YourApp />;
}

Your app will:

• Check for updates when the app launches
• Download available updates in the background
• Apply updates on restart

Step 5: Bundle Your App

Create a JavaScript bundle for your React Native app:

For iOS

$ npx react-native bundle \
    --platform ios \
    --dev false \
    --entry-file index.js \
    --bundle-output dist/main.jsbundle \
    --assets-dest dist/

For Android

$ npx react-native bundle \
    --platform android \
    --dev false \
    --entry-file index.js \
    --bundle-output dist/index.android.bundle \
    --assets-dest dist/

Create the archive

$ cd dist && tar -czf ../release.tar.gz . && cd ..

Step 6: Deploy Your Update

This is the moment. Launch Dark Matter:

$ darkmatter

Navigate to the Deploy tab and fill out the form:

1. Bundle: Select your release.tar.gz file
2. Platform: Choose iOS or Android
3. Channel: production, beta, or staging
4. Version: Semantic version (e.g., 1.0.0)
5. Rollout: Percentage of users (start with 10% for safety)

Press Enter on Deploy Release and watch the magic:

You Did It

Your first OTA update is live. Users with your app will receive the update on their next launch—no app store, no waiting, no friction.

Next Steps

Monitor Your Releases

The Metrics tab shows real-time adoption data:

• See how many devices have adopted each release
• Monitor health status (rollback rates)
• Auto-pause alerts if something goes wrong

Manage Rollouts

Use the Releases tab to adjust rollout percentages or disable releases:

• e — Enable a release
• d — Disable a release
• r — Change rollout percentage

Multiple Channels

Use channels to test updates before production:

• beta — Internal testing
• staging — Pre-production validation
• production — Live users

Gradual Rollouts

Start at 10%, monitor for issues, then increase to 25%, 50%, 100%. The TUI makes it one keystroke to adjust.

TUI Keyboard Shortcuts

Need Help?

We're here for you:

• Email: hello@dark-matter.io

"Ship code like it's 2025. Because it is."