icertools Review: A Handy iOS Dev Toolbox With 169 Stars

If you do iOS development or reverse engineering, there are repetitive little tasks that keep coming up: re-signing IPAs, cropping icons to various sizes, extracting assets from apps. None of it is hard, but doing it manually every time gets old fast.

icertools bundles these utilities into a Python toolkit. 169 stars, not exactly viral, but the functionality is genuinely useful.

Project Background

Author codematrixer built this in Python. The name seems to be iOS + tools combined. Clear positioning: a collection of helper utilities for iOS development and reverse engineering.

169 stars means it’s pretty niche. iOS developers are fewer than Android devs to begin with, and command-line tool users are an even smaller subset.

Core Features

IPA Re-signing

This is what I use most. Testing enterprise builds or modified IPAs requires re-signing with your own certificate before installing on a device. This tool handles it in one command, way easier than manual codesign.

python icertools.py resign -i input.ipa -c "iPhone Developer: XXX" -p profile.mobileprovision

Icon Cropping

iOS apps need icons in various sizes (20pt, 29pt, 40pt, 60pt, multiplied by 2x and 3x). This tool automatically slices one large image into all required sizes.

Asset Extraction

Pull images, audio, plist files, and other resources from IPAs or app bundles. Useful for reverse engineering analysis or theme modifications.

Other Utilities

Some helper functions like viewing IPA info, checking certificate validity — small stuff that occasionally saves time.

Getting Started

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/codematrixer/icertools.git
cd icertools

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# View help
python icertools.py --help

# IPA re-signing example
python icertools.py resign -i app.ipa -c "Your Certificate Name" -p provision.mobileprovision

Real-World Use

I once helped a friend test a modified IPA that needed re-signing for his device. icertools got it done in minutes, no need to memorize codesign parameters.

Another time I wanted to extract icon assets from an app for reference. The asset extraction feature pulled them right out, faster than manually unzipping and digging through directories.

Pros

• Practical features: All things iOS developers actually need
• Command-line friendly: Great for automation scripts and workflow integration
• Python extensibility: Easy to add your own features if you know Python
• Lightweight: No heavy dependencies beyond basic Python libraries

Cons

• Sparse docs: The README is pretty brief. Some parameters you have to check the source to understand
• Small community: 169 stars, so you’re mostly on your own when issues come up
• macOS only: Many features depend on Xcode toolchain, Windows and Linux users are out of luck
• Infrequent updates: Commit history shows a slow maintenance pace

Comparison

There are quite a few iOS signing tools out there — iOS App Signer (GUI), AltServer, and others. But most are graphical, not suited for batch operations or automation.

icertools’ advantage is pure command line. Write a shell script and batch-process a pile of IPAs. This shines in enterprise internal distribution or reverse engineering workflows.

Who Should Use It

iOS developers, reverse engineers, or technical folks who frequently handle IPA files. If you’re just a regular user trying to sideload an app, AltStore or similar tools might be simpler.

Final Thoughts

A 169-star toolkit, don’t expect it to blow your mind. But it does solve some tedious problems in iOS development. Written in Python so it’s hackable. Worth keeping around for those moments when it saves you significant time.

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About the Author

Liudingyu is a full-stack developer and heavy GitHub user. With 900+ starred repos over the past 3 years, this site only covers tools I’ve actually used or deeply researched.

📧 Found a great tool to recommend? Email [email protected]