Jump to content

F-Droid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 109.175.143.48 (talk) at 22:32, 1 March 2016 (Undo centralized trust model paragraph. Clarify that it's just the main repo. The points about maintainers and developers are false.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

F-Droid
Developer(s)Ciaran Gultnieks, F-Droid Limited
Initial release29 September 2010 (2010-09-29)
Repository
Written inPython (server), PHP (site), Java (client)
Operating systemGNU/Linux (server), Android (client)
TypeDigital distribution of free software, Software repository
LicenseGNU GPLv3+
Websitef-droid.org

F-Droid is a software repository (or "app store") for Android applications. The main repository, hosted by the project, contains only apps which are free software. It works similarly to the Google Play store. Applications can be browsed and installed from the F-Droid website or client app without the need to register for an account. "Anti-features" such as advertising, user tracking, or dependence on non-free software are flagged in app descriptions.[1] The website also offers the source code of applications it hosts as well as the software running the F-Droid server, allowing anyone to set up their own app repository.[2][3][4]

History

Development rate of F-Droid has increased over time[5]

F-Droid was founded by Ciaran Gultnieks in 2010. The client was forked from Aptoide's source code.[6][7] The project is now run by the English non-profit F-Droid Limited.[7]

Replicant, a fully free software Android operating system, uses F-Droid as its default and recommended app store.[8][9] The Guardian Project, a suite of free and secure Android applications, started running their own F-Droid repository in early 2012.[10] In 2012 Free Software Foundation Europe featured F-Droid in their Free Your Android! campaign to raise awareness of the privacy and security risks of proprietary software.[11][12] F-Droid was chosen as part of the GNU Project's GNU a Day initiative during their 30th anniversary to encourage more use of free software.[13]

Scope of project

The F-Droid repository contains a growing number of more than 1,700 apps, compared to over 1.43 million on the Google Play Store. The project incorporates several software sub-projects:

  • Client software for searching, downloading, verifying and updating Android apps from an F-Droid repository;
  • fdroidserver – tool for managing existing and creating new repositories.
  • WordPress-based web front end to a repository.

F-Droid builds apps from publicly available and freely licensed source code. The project is run entirely by volunteers and has no formal app review process.[14] New apps are contributed by user submissions or the developers themselves. The only requirement is that they be free of proprietary software.[15]

Client application

Get it on F-Droid logo

To install the F-Droid client the user has to allow installation from "Unknown sources" in Android settings[16] and retrieve the APK (installable file) from the official site. Installation is not available through the Google Play store due to the non-compete clause of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement.[17]

The client was designed to be resilient against surveillance, censorship, and unreliable Internet connections. To promote anonymity it supports HTTP proxies and repos hosted on Tor hidden services. Client devices can function as impromptu "app stores" distributing downloaded apps to other devices over local Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android Beam.[18][19] The F-Droid client app will automatically offer updates for installed F-Droid apps.

The main F-Droid repository uses its own keys to sign packages, so apps previously installed from another source must be reinstalled to receive updates.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Client 0.54 released". F-droid.org. 5 November 2013.
  2. ^ "F-Droid is the FOSS application store for your Android phone". androidcentral.com. 27 November 2012.
  3. ^ Tom Nardi (27 August 2012). "F-Droid: The Android Market That Respects Your Rights". thepowerbase.com.
  4. ^ "F-Droid Server Manual".
  5. ^ "FOSDEM 2014 F-Droid". 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  6. ^ "F-Droid initial source code". F-Droid. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b "F Droid About". Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  8. ^ "FDroid: a free software alternative to Google Market". Replicant Project. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  9. ^ "FDroid". Replicant Wiki.
  10. ^ "Our New F-Droid App Repository". The Guardian Project. 15 March 2012.
  11. ^ Walker-Morgan, Dj (28 February 2012). "FSFE launches "Free Your Android!" campaign". H-online. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Liberate Your Device!". Free Software Foundation Europe. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  13. ^ "GNU-a-Day". GNU Project, Free Software Foundation. Retrieved 23 July 2014. Day 9: Have an Android phone? Install F-Droid, a repository with hundreds of free software apps. {{cite web}}: External link in |quote= (help)
  14. ^ "Contribute". Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Inclusion Policy". 4 April 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Android Open Distribution". 31 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  17. ^ "Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement". 31 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Client 0.76 Released". 14 October 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  19. ^ Russell Brandom (10 June 2014). "Your survival guide for an internet blackout". The Verge. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  20. ^ "Release Channels and Signing Keys". 12 August 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=F-Droid&oldid=707809446"