Creating an Android Library as a GitHub Package

Photo by Danial Igdery on Unsplash

In the realm of Android development, the process of creating libraries plays a crucial role in enhancing code reusability and efficiency. Leveraging GitHub Packages as a distribution mechanism adds a layer of accessibility and organisation to these libraries. This article delves into the steps involved in crafting an Android library, publishing it as a GitHub Package, and guides you on how to install the GitHub Package created.

Development Environment

• Android Studio Narwhal 3 Feature Drop | 2025.1.3
• macOS (Windows should be similar)

Create a New Project

1. Open Android Studio.

2. Click File > New > New Project….

3. Choose a template.

4. Enter your project info (not module info).

5. Click Finish. A new project should have been created.

6. Click File > New > New Module….

7. Select Android Library and enter your module name.

8. Click Finish. A new module should have been created.

Set up APIs and Sample App

1. Create a test class in your module. For example:

package com.example.project_name.module_name

class TestClass {
    fun greet(): String {
        return "Hello, Module Trial!"
    }
}

2. To setup the sample app, in build.gradle.kts (Module :app), add a new line in the dependencies block to import the module:

dependencies {
    implementation(project(":module_name"))
    // ...
}

3. Sync Gradle.

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4. In your MainActivity.kt file of your sample app, update the UI showing the value returned by our TestClass defined above.

@Composable
fun Greeting(name: String, modifier: Modifier = Modifier) {
    Text(
        text = TestClass().greet(),
        modifier = modifier
    )
}

5. Run the app, it should be showing `Hello, Module Trial!` on the UI, that means the module is successfully integrated into the sample app.

Set up for Package Deployment

1. In gradle/libs.versions.toml file, add a line under the [version] tag to indicate your module version, and add another for the maven-publish plugin. Sync Gradle.

[versions]
moduleName = "1.0.0"

[plugins]
maven-publish = { id = "maven-publish" }

2. Create a personal access token in GitHub to publish your package. (Go to Settings > Developer Settings > Personal access tokens > Tokens (classic), create a new token and give the neccessary permissions repo and write:packages).

3. In gradle.properties, add your GitHub username and personal access token:

gpr.user=your_github_username
gpr.token=your_personal_access_token

4. Update the build.gradle.kts (Module :module_name) file. Replace with your GitHub username, GitHub repository name, personal access token, and artifact ID.

import org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.JvmTarget

plugins {
    // ...
    alias(libs.plugins.maven.publish)
}

android {
    // ...
    publishing {
        singleVariant("release") {
            withSourcesJar()
            withJavadocJar()
        }
    }
}

// ...

afterEvaluate {
    publishing {
        publications {
            register<MavenPublication>("release") {
                groupId = "com.github.your_github_username"  // TODO: update this
                artifactId = "my_artifact_id" // TODO: update this
                version = libs.versions.moduleName.get()  // TODO: from version catalogs

                afterEvaluate {
                    from(components["release"])
                }
            }
        }

        repositories {
            maven {
                name = "GitHubPackages"
                url = uri("https://maven.pkg.github.com/your_github_username/your_github_repo_name") // TODO: update this
                credentials {
                    username = project.findProperty("gpr.user") as? String ?: System.getenv("your_github_username") // TODO: update this
                    password = project.findProperty("gpr.token") as? String ?: System.getenv("your_personal_access_token") // TODO: update this
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

5. Sync Gradle.

Deploy GitHub Package

1. In gradle/libs.versions.toml, update the version of moduleName under the [versions] section. Sync Gradle.

2. Run ./gradlew clean assembleRelease publish at root folder. This will build the aar files in the module_name/build/outputs/aar folder, and publish the aar to GitHub Package.

3. Git commit and tag your commit with your version number. Push to GitHub.

4. You should be able to see your published GitHub Package on the right panel of your repository’s GitHub web page. For example, I’ve created a GitHub Package with artifact id “demo-android-github-pkg”:

5. And if you click into it, you will be able to see the package details. For example:

Install as a Dependency

1. In your gradle/libs.versions.toml file, under [versions] and [libraries] section, using your artifact ID and GitHub username, add the followings:

[versions]
your_artifact_id = "1.0.0"

[libraries]
your_artifact_id = { group = "com.github.your_github_username", name = "your_artifact_id", version.ref = "your_artifact_id" }

[plugins]
maven-publish = { id = "maven-publish" }

2. In settings.gradle.kts, add the followings to resolve the dependency:

dependencyResolutionManagement {
    // ...

    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()

        // Add the followings
        maven {
            name = "GitHubPackages"
            url = uri("https://maven.pkg.github.com/your_github_username/your_github_repo_name")
            credentials {
                username = providers.gradleProperty("gpr.user").getOrElse("your_github_username")
                password = providers.gradleProperty("gpr.token").getOrElse("your_personal_access_token")
            }
        }
    }
}

3. In gradle.properties, add your GitHub username and personal access token:

gpr.user=your_github_username
gpr.token=your_personal_access_token

4. Add the dependency in build.gradle.kts (Module :app).

dependencies {
    implementation(libs.your.artifact.id)
}

5. Sync Gradle. You should be able to use the APIs provided by your GitHub Package now.