Apple Developer Certificates
This article applies to macOS only.
See also: Multiplatform Programming Guide
This article applies to iOS only.
See also: Multiplatform Programming Guide
Overview
This is a list of the various certificates available to someone who has signed up and paid for the Apple Developer Program and which certificate to use for what. Given the number and names of the certificates it can be somewhat daunting to figure out which certificate is used for what.
Xcode 11
Xcode 11 supports the new Apple Development and Apple Distribution certificate types. These certificates support building, running, and distributing apps on any Apple platform. Preexisting iOS and macOS development and distribution certificates continue to work, however, new certificates you create in Xcode 11 use the new types. Previous versions of Xcode don’t support these certificates
Apple Development Certificate
This certificate is used to sign development versions of your iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS applications. For use in Xcode 11 or later.
Apple Distribution Certificate
This certificate is used to sign your applications for submission to the App Store for distribution. For use with Xcode 11 or later.
macOS app distribution via the Apple Mac App Store
Mac Development Certificate
This certificate is used to sign development versions of your Mac applications.
Mac App Distribution Certificate
This certificate is used to code sign your application and configure a Distribution Provisioning Profile for submission to the Mac App Store.
Mac Installer Distribution Certificate
This certificate is used to sign your application's Installer Package for submission to the Mac App Store.
macOS app distribution outside the Mac App Store
The certificate types for distribution of macOS applications outside the Apple Mac App Store:
Developer ID Application Certificate
This certificate is used to code sign your application for distribution outside of the Mac App Store.
Developer ID Installer Certificate
This certificate is used to sign your application's Installer Package (if any) for distribution outside of the Mac App Store.
