Simple Node.js interface to generate customized Apple Wallet Passes for iOS.

Architecture

This package was created with a specific architecture in mind: application and model, to split as much as possible static objects (such as logo, background, icon, etc.) from dynamic ones (translations, barcodes, serialNumber, ...).

Actually, pass creation and population doesn't fully happen within the application in runtime. Pass template is a folder in, for example, your application directory (but nothing will stop you from putting it outside), that will contain all the objects needed (static medias) and structure to make a pass work.

Pass template will be read and pushed as is in the resulting .zip file along with web-fetched medias (also considered dynamic objects), while dynamic objects will be patched against pass.json or generated in runtime (manifest.json, signature and translation files).

This package comes with an API documentation, that makes available a series of methods to customize passes.

Install

$ npm install passkit-generator --save

Compatibility

This package is compatible starting with Node v8.1.0+.

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Get Started

Model

The first thing you'll have to do, is to start creating a model. A model is a folder in your project directory, with inside the basic pass infos, like the thumbnails, the icon, and the background and pass.json containing all the static infos about the pass, like Team identifier, Pass type identifier, colors, etc.

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Using the .pass extension is a best practice, showing that the directory is a pass package. (Build your first pass - Apple Developer Portal).

Following to this best practice, the package is set to require each model to have a .pass extension. If the extension is not specified in the configuration (as in Usage Example, at "model" key), it will be added forcefully.

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$ cd yourProjectDir;
$ mkdir passModels && mkdir $_/myFirstModel.pass && cd $_;

Follow the Apple Developer documentation (Package Structure) to build a correct pass model. The icon is required in order to make the pass work. Manifest.json and signature will be automatically ignored from the model and generated in runtime.

You can also create .lproj folders (e.g. en.lproj or it.lproj) containing localized media. To include a folder or translate texts inside the pass, please refer to Localizing Passes in the API documentation.

Pass.json

Create a pass.json by taking example from examples folder models or the one provided by Apple for the first tutorial and fill it with the basic informations, that is teamIdentifier, passTypeIdentifier and all the other basic keys like pass type. Please refer to Top-Level Keys/Standard Keys and Top-Level Keys/Style Keys.

{
  "formatVersion": 1,
  "passTypeIdentifier": "pass.<bundle id>",
  "teamIdentifier": "<here your team identifier>",
  "organizationName": "<your organization name>",
  "description": "A localizable description of your pass. To do so, put here a placeholder.",
  "boardingPass": {}
}

Certificates

The third step is about the developer and WWDR certificates. I suggest you to create a certificate-dedicated folder inside your working directory (e.g. ./certs) to contain everything concerning the certificates.

This is a standard procedure: you would have to do it also without using this library. We'll use OpenSSL to complete our work (or to do it entirely, if only on terminal), so be sure to have it installed. You'll need the following three elements:

• Apple WWDR (Worldwide Developer Relationship) certificate
• Signer certificate
• Signer key

While WWDR can be obtained from Apple PKI Portal, to get the signer key and the certificate, you'll have to get first a Certificate Signing Request (.certSigningRequest file) and upload it to Apple Developers Portal, at Pass Types Identifiers (open it, it's worth it 😜).

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If you don't have access to macOS (or you are a terminal enthusiast), follow these steps instead.

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1. Create a new pass type identifier and provide it with a Name and a reverse-domain bundle id (starting with "pass."). You will put this identifier as value for passTypeIdentifier in pass.json file.

2. Confirm and register the new identifier.

3. Go back to the pass type identifiers, click on your new pass id and edit it.

4. Click "Create Certificate" button and follow the instructions until you won't download a certificate like pass.cer. (here you'll generate the .certSigningRequest file to be uploaded).

5. Open the downloaded certificate. Go in "Certificates" on left in macOS Keychain access and right-click > Export "\<certname\>". Choose a password (and write it down) and you will get a PKCS#12 file (.p12).

6. Open terminal, place where you want to save the files and insert the following OpenSSL commands changing the contents between angular brackets. You'll have to choose a secret passphrase (and write it down) that you'll use also in the application.

   # Creating and changing dir
   $ mkdir "certs" && cd $_
   # Extracting key and cert from pkcs12
   $ openssl pkcs12 -in <cert-name>.p12 -clcerts -nokeys -out signerCert.pem -passin pass:<your-password>
   $ openssl pkcs12 -in <cert-name>.p12 -nocerts -out signerKey.pem -passin pass:<your-password> -passout pass:<secret-passphrase>

7. Execute step 5 also for the WWDR certificate (.cer) you downloaded from Apple PKI portal (default name: AppleWWDRCA.cer) but instead exporting it as PKCS#12 (.p12 - you'll also be unable to do that), export it as PEM (.pem) file.

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Usage example

const { Pass } = require("passkit-generator");

let examplePass = new Pass({
	model: "./passModels/myFirstModel",
	certificates: {
		wwdr: "./certs/wwdr.pem",
		signerCert: "./certs/signercert.pem",
		signerKey: {
			keyFile: "./certs/signerkey.pem",
			passphrase: "123456"
		}
	},
	overrides: {
		// keys to be added or overridden
		serialNumber: "AAGH44625236dddaffbda"
	},
	// if true, existing keys added through methods get overwritten
	// pushed in queue otherwise.
	shouldOverwrite: true
});

// Adding some settings to be written inside pass.json
examplePass.localize("en", { ... });
examplePass.barcode("36478105430"); // Random value

// Generate the stream, which gets returned through a Promise
examplePass.generate()
	.then(stream => {
		doSomethingWithTheStream(stream);
	})
	.catch(err => {
		doSomethingWithTheError(err);
	});

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Debug

In case of errors, more information about the nature of the error can be obtained by adding DEBUG=* before invoking Node.

E.g. DEBUG=* node yourapp.js

Other

If you used this package in any of your projects, feel free to open a topic in issues to tell me and include a project description or link (for companies). 😊 You'll make me feel like my time hasn't been wasted, even if it had not anyway because I learnt a lot of things by creating this.

The idea to develop this package, was born during the Apple Developer Academy 17/18, in Naples, Italy, driven by the need to create an iOS app component regarding passes generation for events.

A big thanks to all the people and friends in the Apple Developer Academy (and not) that pushed me and helped me into realizing something like this and a big thanks to the ones that helped me to make technical choices.

Any contribution, is welcome. Made with ❤️ in Italy.