Certificates, App ID and Provisioning Profile

Question

For submitting an iPhone app to the App Store, we need to create Certificates, App ID and Provisioning Profile.

I often get confused whith these things (even after reading the Apple documentation on http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/ToolsLanguages/Conceptual/DevPortalGuide/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40011159-CH1-SW1)

So could someone please explain me these things in simple terms.

1. Can the same certificate be used for multiple apps (and both for dev/distribution) ?
2. Also I guess App Id is unique for each app. But can the same App ID be used for both dev/distribution ?
3. For Provisioning Profile, I think we need to create 1 each for Dev/distribution. Correct?

Please explain in simple terms. Thank you.

Answer 1

1. Can the same certificate be used for multiple apps (and both for dev/distribution) ? No, distribution certificates can't be used for development, especially the App Store profile which can only be used to submit an app.

2. Also I guess App Id is unique for each app. But can the same App ID be used for both dev/distribution ?

Yes you can use the same app id for the development, ad-hoc and AppStore.

3. For Provisioning Profile, I think we need to create 1 each for Dev/distribution. Correct?

No, you can create a wildecard development profile * as the app bundle id. You can even create a wildcard AppStore profile. Only apps signed with this profile will not be able to use pushnotifications or InApp purchases.

Answer 2

You need one certificate for Development and one certificate for Distribution (new ones for every year of enrollment). These 2 certificates can be used for any number of iOS apps.

A bundle ID is what identifies an app (not its name), so you should use the same ID for all versions and builds, including development, ad hoc, distribution, and updates of that same app.