Development and Production Environments

To develop and deploy the provider side of a client/server app, you must get app SSL certificates from Member Center. The HTTP/2-based provider API lets you use a single certificate for both development and production environments.

For details on obtaining an Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificate that works in both environments, read Creating a Universal Push Notification Client SSL Certificate in App Distribution Guide.

Provisioning Procedures

APNs is available to apps distributed through the iOS App Store, tvOS App Store, and Mac App Store, as well as to enterprise apps. Your app must be provisioned and code signed to use app services. If you are working in a company, most of these configuration steps can be performed only by a team agent or admin.

To learn how to code sign and provision your app during development, read App Distribution Quick Start. For how to enable APNs, read Configuring Push Notifications in App Distribution Guide.

After you configure your app to use APNs, Xcode automatically creates the necessary distribution provisioning profiles when you export your iOS app for beta testing or submit your app to the store.