CocoaPods to Swift Package Manager Migration

Step-by-step guide for migrating Capacitor iOS projects from CocoaPods to Swift Package Manager.

When to Use This Skill

•User wants to migrate from CocoaPods to SPM
•User is setting up a new project with SPM
•User needs to add SPM dependencies to Capacitor
•User has CocoaPods issues and wants an alternative
•User wants faster builds (SPM often faster)

Why Migrate to SPM?

Aspect	CocoaPods	SPM
Build Speed	Slower	Faster
Apple Integration	Third-party	Native Xcode
Ruby Dependency	Required	None
Version Management	Podfile.lock	Package.resolved
Xcodeproj Changes	Modifies project	Uses workspace
Binary Caching	Limited	Built-in

Migration Process

Step 1: Analyze Current Dependencies

First, identify what you're currently using:

bash

cd ios/App
cat Podfile
pod outdated

Common Capacitor pods to migrate:

ruby

# Podfile (before)
target 'App' do
  capacitor_pods
  pod 'Firebase/Analytics'
  pod 'Firebase/Messaging'
  pod 'Alamofire'
  pod 'KeychainAccess'
end

Step 2: Find SPM Equivalents

Most popular libraries support SPM. Use these URLs:

Library	SPM URL
Firebase	`https://github.com/firebase/firebase-ios-sdk`
Alamofire	`https://github.com/Alamofire/Alamofire`
KeychainAccess	`https://github.com/kishikawakatsumi/KeychainAccess`
SDWebImage	`https://github.com/SDWebImage/SDWebImage`
SnapKit	`https://github.com/SnapKit/SnapKit`
Realm	`https://github.com/realm/realm-swift`
Lottie	`https://github.com/airbnb/lottie-spm`

Step 3: Clean CocoaPods

bash

cd ios/App

# Remove CocoaPods integration
pod deintegrate

# Remove Podfile.lock and Pods directory
rm -rf Podfile.lock Pods

# Remove workspace (we'll use project directly or create new workspace)
rm -rf App.xcworkspace

Step 4: Add SPM Dependencies in Xcode

•Open ios/App/App.xcodeproj in Xcode
•Select the project in navigator
•Go to Package Dependencies tab
•Click + to add package
•Enter the package URL
•Choose version rules
•Select target App

Step 5: Update Podfile for Capacitor Core

Capacitor still needs CocoaPods for its core. Create minimal Podfile:

ruby

# ios/App/Podfile
require_relative '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios/scripts/pods_helpers'

platform :ios, '14.0'
use_frameworks!

install! 'cocoapods', :disable_input_output_paths => true

def capacitor_pods
  pod 'Capacitor', :path => '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios'
  pod 'CapacitorCordova', :path => '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios'
end

target 'App' do
  capacitor_pods
  # Other plugin pods that don't support SPM yet
end

post_install do |installer|
  assertDeploymentTarget(installer)
end

Then run:

bash

cd ios/App && pod install

Step 6: Configure Plugin for SPM Support

If you're creating a Capacitor plugin with SPM support:

Package.swift:

swift

// swift-tools-version: 5.9
import PackageDescription

let package = Package(
    name: "CapacitorNativeBiometric",
    platforms: [.iOS(.v14)],
    products: [
        .library(
            name: "CapacitorNativeBiometric",
            targets: ["NativeBiometricPlugin"]
        ),
    ],
    dependencies: [
        .package(url: "https://github.com/nicholasalx/capacitor-swift-pm", from: "6.0.0"),
    ],
    targets: [
        .target(
            name: "NativeBiometricPlugin",
            dependencies: [
                .product(name: "Capacitor", package: "capacitor-swift-pm"),
                .product(name: "Cordova", package: "capacitor-swift-pm"),
            ],
            path: "ios/Sources/NativeBiometricPlugin",
            publicHeadersPath: "include"
        ),
    ]
)

Step 7: Xcode Project Structure for SPM

code

ios/
├── App/
│   ├── App/
│   │   ├── AppDelegate.swift
│   │   ├── Info.plist
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── App.xcodeproj/
│   │   └── project.xcworkspace/
│   │       └── xcshareddata/
│   │           └── swiftpm/
│   │               └── Package.resolved  # SPM lock file
│   ├── Podfile
│   └── Podfile.lock
└── ...

Hybrid Approach (Recommended)

Most Capacitor projects work best with a hybrid approach:

Keep in CocoaPods:

•@capacitor/ios core
•Capacitor plugins without SPM support

Move to SPM:

•Firebase
•Third-party libraries
•Your own Swift packages

Example Hybrid Setup

Podfile:

ruby

require_relative '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios/scripts/pods_helpers'

platform :ios, '14.0'
use_frameworks!

install! 'cocoapods', :disable_input_output_paths => true

def capacitor_pods
  pod 'Capacitor', :path => '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios'
  pod 'CapacitorCordova', :path => '../../node_modules/@capacitor/ios'
  # Plugins without SPM support
  pod 'CapacitorCamera', :path => '../../node_modules/@capacitor/camera'
end

target 'App' do
  capacitor_pods
  # NO Firebase here - use SPM instead
end

Xcode Package Dependencies:

•Firebase iOS SDK
•Any other SPM-compatible libraries

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Duplicate Symbols

Cause: Same library in both CocoaPods and SPM

Solution: Remove from Podfile if using SPM

ruby

# Podfile - WRONG
pod 'Firebase/Analytics'  # Remove this

# Use SPM instead in Xcode

Issue: Module Not Found

Cause: SPM package not linked to target

Solution:

•Xcode > Project > Targets > App
•General > Frameworks, Libraries, and Embedded Content
•Add the SPM package product

Issue: Build Errors After Migration

Cause: Missing frameworks or wrong imports

Solution: Clean and rebuild

bash

# Clean derived data
rm -rf ~/Library/Developer/Xcode/DerivedData

# Clean build folder in Xcode
# Cmd + Shift + K

# Rebuild
bunx cap sync ios
cd ios/App && pod install

Issue: Capacitor Plugin Not Found

Cause: Plugin needs registration

Solution: Ensure plugin is registered in AppDelegate.swift:

swift

import Capacitor
import YourPlugin

@UIApplicationMain
class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate {
    func application(
        _ application: UIApplication,
        didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?
    ) -> Bool {
        // Capacitor handles plugin registration automatically
        return true
    }
}

Creating SPM-Compatible Capacitor Plugin

Directory Structure

code

my-capacitor-plugin/
├── Package.swift
├── ios/
│   └── Sources/
│       └── MyPlugin/
│           ├── MyPlugin.swift
│           ├── MyPlugin.m           # Objc bridge if needed
│           └── include/
│               └── MyPlugin.h       # Public headers
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts
│   ├── definitions.ts
│   └── web.ts
└── package.json

Package.swift Template

swift

// swift-tools-version: 5.9
import PackageDescription

let package = Package(
    name: "CapacitorMyPlugin",
    platforms: [.iOS(.v14)],
    products: [
        .library(
            name: "CapacitorMyPlugin",
            targets: ["MyPluginPlugin"]
        ),
    ],
    dependencies: [
        .package(url: "https://github.com/nicholasalx/capacitor-swift-pm", from: "6.0.0"),
    ],
    targets: [
        .target(
            name: "MyPluginPlugin",
            dependencies: [
                .product(name: "Capacitor", package: "capacitor-swift-pm"),
                .product(name: "Cordova", package: "capacitor-swift-pm"),
            ],
            path: "ios/Sources/MyPlugin"
        ),
    ]
)

Plugin Swift Code

swift

import Foundation
import Capacitor

@objc(MyPlugin)
public class MyPlugin: CAPPlugin, CAPBridgedPlugin {
    public let identifier = "MyPlugin"
    public let jsName = "MyPlugin"
    public let pluginMethods: [CAPPluginMethod] = [
        CAPPluginMethod(name: "echo", returnType: CAPPluginReturnPromise),
    ]

    @objc func echo(_ call: CAPPluginCall) {
        let value = call.getString("value") ?? ""
        call.resolve(["value": value])
    }
}

Migration Checklist

Resources

•Swift Package Manager Documentation: https://swift.org/package-manager
•Capacitor iOS Documentation: https://capacitorjs.com/docs/ios
•CocoaPods to SPM Migration: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/xcode/adding-package-dependencies-to-your-app