Nrova DistributionBeta
Ship your desktop apps
Manage releases for your macOS and Windows desktop apps from one workspace. Auto-update feeds, public listing API for your website, DMG generation for first-time downloads, and icons extracted straight from your binaries. Pro and Enterprise.
| Application | Platforms |
|---|---|
A release manager built for desktop apps
macOS and Windows artifacts, semver releases, channels, and one feed your apps can poll for updates.
macOS releases
Upload .app bundles as ZIPs for in-app updates. Add a separate DMG for first-time downloads from your website. Drag-and-drop release builder with size and notarization status visible at a glance.
Windows releases
Upload .exe and .msi installers. Track filename, size, and SHA-256 per artifact. Same release surface as macOS — one feed for both platforms.
Versioned releases
Group artifacts into releases tagged with a semantic version (e.g. 1.4.2). Optional release notes in markdown. Each release publishes a `latest` pointer per platform and channel that your app can poll over the public read API.
Channels
Ship to stable, beta, or any custom channel name. Subscribers on a channel only see updates promoted to that channel — perfect for staged rollouts and dogfooding internal builds.
Auto-extracted icons
Distribution reads .icns from your macOS bundle and PE resources from your Windows installer to find your app icon automatically. macOS icons are preferred when both platforms are present. Manual upload is also available.
Install vs. update purpose
Tag every artifact with an `installPurpose`: `install` for fresh downloads from your website, `update` for in-app self-update. macOS users can ship a DMG for install and a ZIP for update from a single release.
A read API your website and your app can both use
Public endpoints for download buttons, private endpoints for your build pipeline, and PATs for CI/CD.
Public application feed
`GET /v1/organizations/{orgId}/applications/public` returns every app you've flagged public, with their latest releases per channel and platform. Drop straight into your marketing site to auto-render download buttons.
Update endpoint
`GET /v1/organizations/{orgId}/applications/{appId}/latest` returns the latest release pointer per platform / channel / purpose so your app can poll for updates without bundling Sparkle or WinSparkle.
Direct download endpoint
`GET /v1/organizations/{orgId}/applications/{appId}/download` proxies the latest artifact behind a 302. Pair with `?platform=` and `?purpose=install` so your website can offer a single 'Download for Mac' button that always serves the freshest DMG.
API tokens
Mint scoped Personal Access Tokens from your account settings (`nrv_pat_…`). Tokens act on behalf of their owner and never expand permissions. Perfect for CI/CD pipelines that publish releases on every tagged commit.
Release notes
Markdown release notes attach to every release and surface in both the dashboard and the public API, so your in-app 'What's new' panel can render the same content your website does.
Permission-aware
Token holders see exactly what their owner sees in the dashboard — no more, no less. Public listings expose a strict subset of fields; private apps stay invisible until you flip the public switch.
From CI to your users in three steps
Wire it once and every build flows from your pipeline to your users without a release-day scramble.
1. Upload from CI
Mint a Personal Access Token, point your CI at the upload endpoint, and push your signed macOS .zip / .dmg and Windows .exe / .msi to a new release on every tagged commit.
2. Promote to a channel
Releases land on `beta` by default. Promote to `stable` from the dashboard once your team has shipped through a smoke test. Channels are arbitrary strings — define what fits your release rhythm.
3. Users get the update
Your app polls the latest endpoint on launch and offers an in-app update. Your website hits the public download endpoint to keep the “Download for Mac” button always pointing at the freshest DMG.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Nrova Distribution?
- Nrova Distribution lets you ship your desktop apps to your team or your customers. Upload macOS and Windows builds, organize them into releases on stable, beta, or custom channels, and serve a JSON update feed so your apps can self-update. App icons are auto-extracted from your binaries, and you can generate a DMG for web downloads while keeping a ZIP for in-app updates. It is included on Pro and Enterprise.
- Which platforms and formats does Distribution support?
- Distribution accepts macOS .app bundles (zipped) and Windows .exe / .msi installers. For macOS you can upload a separate DMG for the install path while reusing the ZIP for in-app update checks. Icons are extracted automatically from .icns (macOS) and PE resources (Windows); you can also upload a custom icon manually.
- Can my website list available downloads automatically?
- Yes. The public listing endpoint (`GET /v1/organizations/{orgId}/applications/public`) returns every application you have flagged as public with their latest releases per channel and platform. Pair it with the download endpoint to auto-generate download buttons on your marketing site.
- How do auto-updates work?
- Each release publishes a `latest` pointer per platform and channel that your app can poll over the public read API. Tag artifacts with an install purpose (`install` for first-time download, `update` for in-app updates) so your app fetches the right artifact in each context.
- How much does Nrova Distribution cost?
- Distribution is included in Pro ($4.99 per user per month) and Enterprise ($9.99 per user per month), each with a 7-day free trial. The free plan includes Boards only.
Ready to ship your app?
Available on Pro and Enterprise. Start a 7-day trial — your first release can ship today.