What is PassKit and how to use it?

Boarding Pass by Jordy Arntz

Apple PassKit framework is responsible for Apple Pay and managing user passes in the Wallet app.

This time let’s talk about passes, how to create and distribute them. Wallet app allows iOS users to organize boarding passes, tickets or gifts, business and loyalty cards. In short, passes are digital representations of information that usually is printed on paper or used as plastic cards.

Pass building blocks

Passes are created as packages (or bundles) with extension .pass and consists of:

• pass.json - file that defines the pass, image assets, and other metadata;
• manifest.json - file that describes files inside the pass and has SHA1 checksums of each of the files
• image assets
• background of the pass
• logo — the logo in the pass header
• icon — small icon for the pass
• strip — image strip background behind the primary fields

Required fields creating a pass