ad hoc provisioning profile A type of distribution provisioning profile used for distributing iOS, tvOS, and watchOS apps for testing.
App ID A string that identifies one or more apps from a single team. An App ID consists of a bundle ID search string preceded by the Team ID, a 10-character string generated by Apple to uniquely identify a team.
Apple Developer Program Subscription services that offer Apple developers access to technical resources and support to develop iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Mac apps for the store.
Apple ID An Apple-issued developer account with a name and password. Developers use their Apple ID credentials to sign in to any of the Apple Developer Program tools. A developer or Apple ID can belong to multiple teams.
Apple Push Notification service (APNs) The service (servers and other infrastructure) that Apple provides to allow developers to push notifications to apps. A message sent by the service is called a push notification.
Apple TV App Store A service for purchasing and downloading tvOS apps. The Apple TV App Store is available on tvOS devices.
Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority The certificate authority that validates development and distribution certificates for apps submitted to the store.
app binary File that contains machine code for a computer to execute.
App Review The process of reviewing apps submitted to the store to ensure they are reliable, perform as expected, and follow Apple guidelines.
App Store A service for purchasing and downloading iOS and watchOS apps. The App Store is available on iOS devices and in the iTunes Store on Mac and Windows computers.
app thinning A means of downloading and installing apps that uses memory and disk space efficiently. App thinning encompasses slicing, bitcode, and on-demand resources.
build The product of building your Xcode project or contents of an archive you upload to iTunes Connect. The store and operating system uses the version number and build string in the Info.plist to identify the build.
bundle ID A reverse DNS string that precisely identifies a single app.
bitcode An intermediate representation of a compiled program.
bundle ID search string The second part of an App ID that’s supplied by developers to match a set of bundle IDs, where each bundle ID identifies a single app. For example, if the bundle ID search string is com.mycompany.MyApp or a wildcard such as com.mycompany.*, it matches the bundle ID com.mycompany.MyApp.
certificate authority An organization that authorizes a certificate.
Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles An area of Member Center available to Apple Developer Program members that provides resources needed to develop iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Mac apps and Safari Extensions.
certificate signing request (CSR) A file that contains personal information used to generate a signing certificate. This file also contains the public key to be included in the certificate, along with identifying information.
client SSL certificate A certificate that allows a developer’s server to connect to an Apple service. For example, developers use a client SSL certificate to communicate with the Apple Push Notification service.
code signing certificate A signing certificate used to sign an app or installer.
container ID A unique identifier for an app’s iCloud container.
crash report A report generated by the operating system when an app crashes.
data protection A digital safeguard that adds a level of security to files stored on disk by an app.
Developer ID The name of the feature that developers use to distribute code-signed apps outside the Mac App Store.
developer profile A file that contains a developer’s development certificates, distribution certificates, and provisioning profiles.
development certificate A type of signing certificate used during development that identifies a single developer on a team. It allows an app to launch on a device through Xcode.
development provisioning profile A type of provisioning profile that authorizes an app to use certain services and run on designated devices during development. This profile consists of a name, multiple development certificates, multiple devices, and an App ID.
device Used as a short form for a device that the app runs on when no distinction between the different devices is needed. For iOS apps, a device is an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. For tvOS apps, a device is an Apple TV. For watchOS apps, a device is an iPhone paired to an Apple Watch. For Mac apps, a device is a Mac computer.
device ID A way of uniquely identifying an Apple device including a Mac computer.
distribution certificate A type of signing certificate used to distribute an app and allow it to launch on a device without the assistance of Xcode. A distribution certificate identifies a team, not a team member.
distribution provisioning profile A type of provisioning profile that authorizes an app to run on devices without the assistance of Xcode and allows them to use certain services. A distribution provisioning profile is used to submit an app to the store or export it for distribution outside of the store.
entitlement A single right granted to a particular app, tool, or other executable that gives it additional permissions beyond what it would ordinarily have.
explicit App ID An App ID that matches a single bundle ID, in contrast to a wildcard App ID, which can match one or more bundle IDs.
Game Center Apple’s social gaming network that allows players to connect to the service and exchange information with other players.
Gatekeeper The OS X feature that enables users to choose to disallow the launching of apps that aren’t code signed by developers known to Apple.
iCloud A type of storage that allows developers to share a user’s data among multiple instances of an app running on other iOS and OS X devices.
In-App Purchase A mechanism for embedding items to purchase directly into an app. In this way, a developer can connect to the store and securely process payments from the user.
individual Used to describe a type of Apple Developer Program account that has one developer.
intermediate certificate A certificate that’s required to be in a developer’s keychain to ensure that a signing certificate is issued by a trusted source.
iOS App file A type of OS X file that can be installed on iOS and tvOS devices.
Mac Installer Package A type of OS X file that, when double-clicked, launches the Installer and installs a Mac app on a computer.
Newsstand An iOS app for purchasing and organizing newspaper and magazine subscriptions into a folder.
on-demand resources Nonexecutable resources that are tagged and downloaded independently of the app bundle.
organization A type of Apple Developer Program account that has one or more team members.
Wallet An iOS app for organizing and using passes, tickets, and coupons.
passes Digital representations of information that allow users to redeem a real-world product or service, such as a coupon, a ticket for a show, or a boarding pass.
provisioning The process of preparing and configuring an app to launch on devices and use certain services.
provisioning profile A type of system profile used to provision one or more apps.
push notification A message sent from an app, that isn’t running in the foreground, to the user using Apple Push Notification service (APNs).
quarantine The state of a file or an app that, when a user first attempts to open the item, triggers the Gatekeeper feature. OS X imposes a quarantine on items downloaded from the web, from email, and so on.
routing app An app that offers routing information, such as turn-by-turn navigation services. An app can register as a routing app and make those directions available to Maps and other apps.
signing certificate A certificate used for signing other entries, such as installer packages, email messages, and the like.
signing identity A digital identity used for code signing, including archive signing. A signing identity includes the certificate with its private and public keys stored in the keychain.
slicing The process of streamlining the app bundle based on the target device.
store Used as a short form of the App Store, Apple TV App Store, or the Mac App Store when there’s no distinction between them.
symbolicate To replace memory addresses in a crash report with human-readable function names and line numbers.
team admin A person on a development team who has some of the privileges of a team agent but can’t sign agreements. Team admins help team agents delegate some of their responsibilities. Compare team agent; team member.
team agent The person on a development team who has unrestricted access to the team and who is legally responsible for it. Compare team admin; team member.
Team ID A 10-character string that’s generated by Apple to uniquely identify your team. The Team ID is used as the prefix for an App ID.
team member A person on a development team who has the fewest privileges. Compare team agent; team admin.
team provisioning profile The development provisioning profile that Xcode creates and manages for you. The team provisioning profile contains all of a team’s development certificates, its registered devices, and the wildcard App ID, which Xcode also creates.
tvOS The operating system the runs on an Apple TV device.
universal app A build that runs on all supported operating systems and target devices. Compare variant.
universal purchase A store feature that allows customers to purchase your related iOS and tvOS app together.
variant An app that contains only the architecture and resources that are needed for a target device.
watchOS The operating system the runs on an Apple Watch device.
wildcard App ID An App ID that matches one or more bundle IDs used by a development team. Compare explicit App ID.
Xcode iOS Wildcard App ID The wildcard App ID that Xcode manages for iOS developers.
Xcode Mac Wildcard App ID The wildcard App ID that Xcode manages for Mac developers.