Open Source Project of the Day (Part 35): GitHub Store - A Cross-Platform App Store for GitHub Releases

Introduction

"No more hunting through GitHub releases."

This is Part 35 of the "Open Source Project of the Day" series. Today we explore GitHub Store (GitHub), open-sourced by rainxchzed.

Have you ever searched for an open-source app on GitHub, only to have to dig through the Releases page hunting for APK, EXE, DMG, and other files? GitHub Store is a cross-platform app store designed specifically for discovering and installing open-source software from GitHub Releases. It automatically detects installable binaries (Android: APK; Windows: EXE, MSI; macOS: DMG, PKG; Linux: DEB, RPM, AppImage), provides one-click installation, update tracking (tracks installed apps on Android and notifies about updates), and an app-store-like interface (Trending, Recently Updated, New project categories). Built on Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform, it supports Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, with 48,000+ active users and 7k+ GitHub Stars. Developer rainxchzed built and maintains this independently starting in high school — 100% free, no ads, no tracking, no paid features.

What You'll Learn

• GitHub Store's positioning: a cross-platform app store for GitHub Releases, simplifying open-source software discovery and installation
• Core features: smart discovery, one-click installation, update tracking, detailed information display
• Technical architecture: Kotlin Multiplatform + Compose Multiplatform, cross-platform UI and logic sharing
• How apps appear in GitHub Store: requirements for automatic discoverability
• Comparison with official app stores and project advantages

Prerequisites

• Basic understanding of GitHub Releases (release versions, asset files)
• Basic familiarity with installer formats for Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux
• For contributions, familiarity with Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform

---

Project Background

Project Introduction

GitHub Store is a cross-platform app store designed specifically for discovering and installing open-source software from GitHub Releases. It uses the GitHub Search API to automatically discover repositories containing installable binaries, provides an app-store-like browsing experience (Trending, Recently Updated, New categories), and supports one-click installation and update tracking. The project supports Android (APK), Windows (EXE, MSI), macOS (DMG, PKG), and Linux (DEB, RPM, AppImage), using Kotlin Multiplatform for cross-platform logic sharing and Compose Multiplatform for a unified UI, while maintaining native installation behavior on each platform (Android calls the package installer, desktop downloads to the Downloads folder and calls the default handler).

Target user groups:

• Open-source software users: Want a more convenient way to discover and install apps from GitHub
• Developers: Want their apps to be discovered and used by more people
• Cross-platform users: Use open-source software across multiple platforms and need a unified installation experience

Author/Team Introduction

• Author: rainxchzed (GitHub)
• Background: Independently developed and maintained this project starting in high school
• Project status: Actively maintained, v1.5.1 released (January 2026)
• Support: Buy Me a Coffee, GitHub Sponsors; also welcomes Stars, Issues, sharing, and Discord joining

Project Stats

• ⭐ GitHub Stars: 7k+
• 🍴 Forks: 270+
• 👥 Active users: 48,000+
• 📦 Version: v1.5.1 (latest)
• 📄 License: Apache-2.0
• 🌐 Website: github-store.org
• 💬 Discord: Community link
• 🏆 Media coverage: HowToMen (Top 20 Best Android Apps 2026), HelloGitHub (Featured Project)

---

Main Features

Core Purpose

GitHub Store's core purpose is to simplify the discovery and installation process for GitHub Releases:

1. Automatic discovery: Discovers repositories with installable binaries via the GitHub Search API
2. Smart filtering: Only shows repositories with installable files for the current platform (Android users see APKs, desktop users see EXE/DMG/DEB, etc.)
3. One-click installation: Click "Install latest" to automatically download and invoke the system installer
4. Update tracking: Tracks installed apps on Android, notifies about new versions
5. Detailed information: Displays README, release notes, installer file list, etc.

Use Cases

1. Discovering new apps

   • Browse Trending, Recently Updated, New categories to discover interesting open-source apps

2. Quick installation

   • One-click install after finding an app, no manual downloading of Releases files

3. Managing installed apps (Android)

   • View installed apps on the "Apps" screen, one-click update when update notifications arrive

4. Cross-platform use

   • Unified interface and experience across Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

Quick Start

Download and install:

• Android: Download APK from Obtainium or GitHub Releases
• Desktop: Download the installer for your platform from the website or GitHub Releases

Usage flow:

1. Open the app and browse Trending, Recently Updated, New categories
2. Click an app to view details (README, release notes, installer file list)
3. Click "Install latest" for one-click installation
4. (Android) Manage installed apps in the "Apps" screen and receive update notifications

Developers: Getting your app to appear in GitHub Store:

Apps appear automatically if they meet these requirements:

1. Public GitHub repository
2. At least one published Release (not draft, not prerelease)
3. Latest Release contains installable files (APK, EXE, DMG, DEB, etc.)
4. Discoverable via the GitHub Search API (with appropriate topics, language, description)

Core Features

1. Smart discovery

   • Home page includes "Trending," "Recently Updated," and "New" categories with time filtering
   • Only shows repositories with valid installable files
   • Platform-aware topic scoring — Android/desktop users see relevant apps first

2. Latest version installation

   • Fetches /releases/latest for each repository
   • Only shows assets from the latest Release
   • Single "Install latest" button, expandable to show all installers for that Release

3. Detailed information page

   • App name, version, "Install latest" button
   • Stars, Forks, Open Issues
   • Rendered README content ("About this app")
   • Latest Release notes (body), Markdown supported
   • Installer file list with platform tags and file sizes

4. Cross-platform UX

   • Android: Downloads APK and invokes the package installer, tracks installation in local database, shows in "Apps" screen with update indicators
   • Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux): Downloads installer to Downloads folder, opens with default handler — no hidden temporary locations

5. Update tracking (Android)

   • Tracks apps installed via GitHub Store
   • Highlights when there's a new Release, no need to dig through GitHub again

6. Open-source extensible

   • Based on Kotlin Multiplatform, with clean separation of network, domain logic, and UI
   • Easy to fork, extend, or adapt

Project Advantages

Compared to manually downloading GitHub Releases:

Compared to official app stores:

Why choose GitHub Store?

• Open-source focused: Designed specifically for GitHub Releases, easier to discover open-source apps
• Cross-platform unified: Android and Desktop use the same UI and logic for a consistent experience
• No ads, no tracking: 100% free, no ads, no tracking, no paid features
• Fast updates: Directly connected to GitHub Releases, fast update cycle
• Open-source extensible: Based on KMP, easy to fork and extend

---

Detailed Project Analysis

Technical Architecture

Tech stack:

• Language: Kotlin
• UI framework: Compose Multiplatform (Android + Desktop)
• Architecture: Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP), clean separation of network, domain logic, and UI
• Build tool: Gradle (Kotlin DSL)
• API: GitHub REST API (Search, Releases, Repository, etc.)

Project structure:

• composeApp/: Compose Multiplatform app entry
• core/: Core business logic (network, data models, domain logic)
• feature/: Feature modules (discovery, details, installation, update tracking, etc.)
• build-logic/: Gradle build logic

Workflow

1. Search and discovery:

• Uses GitHub's /search/repositories endpoint with platform-aware queries
• Applies simple scoring based on topics, language, and description
• Filters out archived repositories and those with insufficient signals

2. Release and Asset checking:

• Calls /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest for candidate repositories
• Checks the assets array for platform-specific file extensions
• Excludes repositories from results if no suitable assets are found

3. Details page:

• Repository info: name, owner, description, Stars, Forks, Issues
• Latest Release: tag, publish date, body (changelog), assets
• README: loaded from default branch and rendered as "About this app"

4. Installation flow:

• When user clicks "Install latest":
  • Selects the best-matching asset for the current platform
  • Streams download
  • Delegates to system installer (Android package installer, desktop default handler)
  • Records installation in local database on Android; uses package monitoring to keep installed list in sync

Requirements for Apps to Appear

Apps appear automatically in GitHub Store when:

1. Public GitHub repository: Visibility is public
2. At least one published Release: Created via GitHub Releases (not just tags); the latest Release must not be a draft or prerelease
3. Latest Release contains installable files: At least one asset with a supported extension:
   • Android: .apk
   • Windows: .exe, .msi
   • macOS: .dmg, .pkg
   • Linux: .deb, .rpm, .AppImage
   • GitHub Store ignores auto-generated source artifacts (Source code (zip) / Source code (tar.gz))
4. Discoverable via search: Fetched via GitHub Search API; topics, language, and description help ranking:
   • Android apps: topics like android, mobile, apk
   • Desktop apps: topics like desktop, windows, linux, macos, compose-desktop, electron
   • Having a certain number of Stars improves chance of appearing in Popular/Updated/New categories

Security and Disclaimer

APK signing certificate:

All official GitHub Store releases are signed with this certificate fingerprint:

SHA-256: B7:F2:8E:19:8E:48:C1:93:B0:38:C6:5D:92:DD:F7:BC:07:7B:0D:B5:9E:BC:9B:25:0A:6D:AC:48:C1:18:03:CA

Disclaimer:

GitHub Store only helps discover and download Release Assets already published on GitHub by third-party developers. The security and behavior of downloaded content is entirely the responsibility of the respective authors and distributors, not this project. Using GitHub Store means you understand and agree to assume all risks of installing and running any downloaded software. This project does not review, verify, or guarantee the safety, malware-free status, or fitness for any particular purpose of any installer.

---

Project Resources

Official Resources

• 🌟 GitHub: github.com/rainxchzed/Github-Store
• 🌐 Website: github-store.org
• 📚 Wiki: GitHub Wiki
• 💬 Discord: Community link
• 📜 Privacy policy: github-store.org/privacy-policy
• 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues

Related Resources

• Kotlin Multiplatform
• Compose Multiplatform
• GitHub REST API
• Obtainium (Android app update tool)

Who Should Use This

• Open-source software users: Want a more convenient way to discover and install apps from GitHub
• Developers: Want their apps to be discovered by more users, or want to learn KMP + Compose Multiplatform in practice
• Cross-platform app developers: Reference how to implement a cross-platform app store with KMP
• Alternative app store explorers: Looking for open-source, ad-free app distribution solutions

---

Welcome to visit my personal homepage for more useful knowledge and interesting products