bundletool-validate

Verify a bundle and display detailed information about it

$ bundletool validate --bundle [path/to/bundle.aab]

bundletool validate --bundle=path/to/your.aab [OPTIONS]

--bundle=path/to/your.aab
    Specifies the absolute or relative path to the Android App Bundle (.aab file) that needs to be validated. This is typically a mandatory parameter for the validation process.

--help
    Displays help information and usage details for the validate sub-command.

The bundletool-validate command is a sub-command of the bundletool utility, a crucial command-line tool for Android developers. Its primary function is to inspect and verify the integrity and correctness of an Android App Bundle (AAB) file. An AAB is the publishing format for Android apps on Google Play, and validating it ensures that it adheres to all the structural, manifest, resource, and signing requirements set by Google Play.

This command helps developers catch potential issues before uploading their app bundle, thereby streamlining the release process and preventing rejections due to malformed or invalid bundles. It performs checks such as verifying the bundle structure, manifest contents, resource configurations, and proper module organization.

• The bundletool-validate command performs static analysis of the App Bundle; it does not execute any code or check for runtime errors.
• While validation covers many common issues, it doesn't guarantee that the app will function correctly on all devices or pass all Google Play review policies (e.g., content policies, performance, security vulnerabilities not detectable by bundle structure).
• Ensure you have the latest version of bundletool for the most up-to-date validation checks, as Google Play's requirements can evolve.

The validation process checks for the correct internal structure of the .aab file, which is essentially a zip archive containing various modules (base, feature modules), manifest files, resources, assets, and native libraries.

While bundletool-validate doesn't fully verify the signing key's authenticity with Google Play, it checks for the presence and basic validity of signing information within the bundle, which is crucial for Google Play's integrity checks.

If validation fails, the command provides detailed error messages indicating what went wrong and often suggesting how to fix it, helping developers quickly identify and resolve issues.

The bundletool utility was introduced by Google as part of the Android App Bundle adoption initiative, which began gaining traction around 2018. Google mandated App Bundles for all new apps on Google Play from August 2021, making tools like bundletool essential for Android developers. The validate sub-command has been a core component of bundletool since its early versions, crucial for ensuring app bundles conform to Google Play's evolving standards. Its development is tied directly to the lifecycle and requirements of the Android App Bundle format.

bundletool build-apks(1), bundletool install-apks(1), jarsigner(1), aapt2(1)