I made a local APT repository that automatically fetches DEBs and AppImages from anywhere - eviltoast

On Debian-based distros, when an app is available as a DEB or an AppImage (that doesn’t self-update), but no APT repository, PPA or Flatpak, the only option is to manually download each update, and usually manually check even whether there are updates.

But, what if those would be upgraded at the same time as everything else using the tools you’re familiar with ?

dynapt is a local web server that fetches those DEBs (and AppImages to be wrapped into DEBs) wherever those are, then serves these to APT like any package repository does.

I started building it a few months ago, and after using it to upgrade apps on my computers and servers for some time, I pre-released it for the first time last week.

The stable version will come with a CLI wizard to avoid this manual configuration.

Feedback is welcome :)

  • KaKi87@jlai.luOPEnglish
    9·
    2 months ago

    local repo with file:// scheme

    With that, I couldn’t trigger a download when apt update is ran, I could only do a cron, i.e. a delay, that I do not want.

    custom apt-transport

    I thought about that, but found no documentation on how to do it. If you have any, I’m interested.

    Even just finding documentation on how to generate DEBs and APT repository metadata files was very hard.

    • bizdelnick@lemmy.ml
      8·
      2 months ago

      It is documented in libapt-pkg-doc (/usr/share/doc/libapt-pkg-doc/method.html/index.html).

      • KaKi87@jlai.luOP
        6·
        2 months ago

        In an APT package OMG 😂

        I found an online version though, which I would never have found through my search engine (and on a site that doesn’t even support HTTPS) 😅

        Looks like difficult reading too 😭

        Thanks anyway.

      • KaKi87@jlai.luOPEnglish
        4·
        2 months ago

        Yeah, I don’t have the skill for this. I’d be very happy if someone else would make this, but if not then I’m sticking to HTTP.

        • keturn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          3·
          2 months ago

          I went way down the rabbit hole on this one and ended up with a proof of concept that’s probably close enough to be able to wire it up: https://gitlab.com/-/snippets/3745244

          I guess it didn’t end up too much code, but I’m not entirely sure it’s worth it.

          (it’s after 3 AM? oh no what have I done)

          • KaKi87@jlai.luOP
            1·
            2 months ago

            Why the OOP structure and syntax ? Sorry but it makes it difficult to read for me even in my own language 😅

            • keturn@sh.itjust.works
              1·
              2 months ago

              uh, because TypeScript is an object-oriented language, as are the Deno APIs? I’m not sure I understand the question.

              • KaKi87@jlai.luOP
                1·
                2 months ago

                It’s more functional than object-oriented and I read the former better than the latter. 😅

    • keturn@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      2 months ago

      differently hacky idea:

      since you do end up with all the packages in a repository on the filesystem, and you just want to have it do this just-in-time updating when the Packages file is accessed…

      what if you list it as a normal file apt source, but you make the Packages file a FIFO?

      it’s a cursed idea but I’m not sure it is any less cursed than the other options we’ve come up with.

      it may or may not help to have systemd.socket manage creating the FIFO and running the service.

      • KaKi87@jlai.luOP
        1·
        2 months ago

        What’s a FIFO ?

        I’ve also looked into VFS but found nothing I’d have the skills to implement. 😅