Simulating Success: How to Test iPhone Apps in Xcode Simulator with Sitecore 10.3 Docker Containers

Simulating Success: How to Test iPhone Apps in Xcode Simulator with Sitecore 10.3 Docker Containers

Introduction

When I was developing my iOS app, I encountered a problem: my Sitecore Docker container needed to be exposed. Instead of taking that route, I realized it would be simpler to use the Xcode simulator. This way, I could see my iOS application in action, using my Sitecore Docker container from another laptop.

Requirements

The requirements in order for this to work are the following:

  • A PC with Sitecore Installed in a Docker Container
  • A Mac with the iOS Application that is connected to the Sitecore Docker Container
  • Make sure both the Mac and the PC are connected in the same network. 

Procedure

If you have your Sitecore 10.3 Docker installed I suggest to run it until you can see your CMS. After that we will switch to our Apple computer where the iOS Application for your Sitecore Container app should be. If you want to know how you can connect your application to Sitecore via Sitecore Experience Edge you should try and see my previous post. 

Once you ran your local sitecore instance copy the url, mine would be: https://www.headlessapp.localhost/ . Save this you will need it later. 


In your PC open the CMD tool. You can do this by clicking windows home screen and search for CMD. 

Right click on CMD and run it as Administrator.


Then in the command window type ipconfig

Once you press enter you should a lot of data being printed. Check IPv4 Address and copy that, you will need that later. Mine is 192.168.100.29


After checking the local  IPv4 Address  from your machine its now time to switch to our Mac. In our Mac open the terminal by pressing command + space and searching for terminal in the spotlight.

On the terminal type:  

 sudo nano /etc/hosts

You should see a file like this 


Add an entry with the IP, followed by the URL you saved earlier.

Exit and save. Congratulations, you now have your Sitecore Docker instance connected from your PC to your Mac. To verify that it's working, simply navigate to that URL on your Mac. You should see the same page that appears when you access the URL on your PC.

Now, any iOS app that uses the same network configuration and the previously copied URL will be able to connect to your Sitecore Docker container, allowing you to conduct tests

Conclusion

There are other ways to test your iOS app, but this method is ideal if you want to avoid dealing with CI/CD services or making the URL public. Keep in mind that this approach will only allow you to test the app in the simulator. If you wish to test it on a real device, like an iPhone, you'll need to either expose the URL publicly or use CI/CD services to set up a testable Sitecore environment, such as an Integration, QA, or Staging environment.

Happy Coding!!! 😊😊😊



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