https://github.com/pkgforge/soar
A fast, modern package manager for Static Binaries, Portable Formats (AppImage|AppBundle|FlatImage|Runimage) & More [maintainer=@QaidVoid]
https://github.com/pkgforge/soar
appimage appimage-repository appimagehub appimages apps download-manager experimental fast flatimage linux linux-app linux-apps-managment package package-manager packages portable portable-apps portableapps runimage rust
Last synced: about 1 month ago
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A fast, modern package manager for Static Binaries, Portable Formats (AppImage|AppBundle|FlatImage|Runimage) & More [maintainer=@QaidVoid]
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/pkgforge/soar
- Owner: pkgforge
- License: mit
- Created: 2024-10-03T02:24:54.000Z (9 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-04-02T06:00:42.000Z (3 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-04T10:34:06.906Z (2 months ago)
- Topics: appimage, appimage-repository, appimagehub, appimages, apps, download-manager, experimental, fast, flatimage, linux, linux-app, linux-apps-managment, package, package-manager, packages, portable, portable-apps, portableapps, runimage, rust
- Language: Rust
- Homepage: https://soar.qaidvoid.dev
- Size: 673 KB
- Stars: 268
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 8
- Open Issues: 8
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- Changelog: CHANGELOG.md
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
[crates-shield]: https://img.shields.io/crates/v/soar-cli
[crates-url]: https://crates.io/crates/soar-cli
[discord-shield]: https://img.shields.io/discord/1313385177703256064?logo=%235865F2&label=discord
[discord-url]: https://discord.gg/djJUs48Zbu
[doc-shield]: https://img.shields.io/badge/docs-soar.qaidvoid.dev-blue
[doc-url]: https://soar.qaidvoid.dev
[issues-shield]: https://img.shields.io/github/issues/pkgforge/soar.svg
[issues-url]: https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/issues
[license-shield]: https://img.shields.io/github/license/pkgforge/soar.svg
[license-url]: https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/blob/main/LICENSE
[packages-shield]: https://img.shields.io/badge/dynamic/json?url=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pkgforge/metadata/refs/heads/main/TOTAL_INSTALLABLE.json&query=$[6].total&label=packages&labelColor=grey&style=flat&link=https://pkgs.pkgforge.dev
[packages-url]: https://pkgs.pkgforge.dev
[stars-shield]: https://img.shields.io/github/stars/pkgforge/soar.svg
[stars-url]: https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/stargazers
[![Crates.io][crates-shield]][crates-url]
[![Discord][discord-shield]][discord-url]
[![Documentation][doc-shield]][doc-url]
[![Issues][issues-shield]][issues-url]
[![License: MIT][license-shield]][license-url]
[![Packages][packages-shield]][packages-url]
[![Stars][stars-shield]][stars-url]
📘 Documentation |
🔮 PackageForge
Soar is a Fast, Modern, Bloat-Free Distro-Independent Package Manager that Just Works
Supports Static Binaries, AppImages, and other Portable formats on any *Unix-based Distro
## 🪄 Quickstart
> [!TIP]
> - Soar comes as a single-file, statically-linked executable with no dependencies that you can simply [download](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/releases/latest) & run.
> - The [install script](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/blob/main/install.sh) does this & more automatically for you.
```bash
❯ cURL
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pkgforge/soar/main/install.sh" | sh
❯ wget
wget -qO- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pkgforge/soar/main/install.sh" | sh
```
> [!NOTE]
> - Please read & verify what's inside the script before running it
> - The script is also available through https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/install.sh & https://soar.pkgforge.dev/install.sh
> - Additionally, if you want to customize your installation, please read the docs @ https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/installation.html
> - For, extra Guide & Information on infra backends & adding more repos: https://docs.pkgforge.dev
> - Next, Check [Configuration](https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/configuration) & [Usage](https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/package-management)
## 🌟 Key Features
> [!TIP]
> - The comparison page @ https://docs.pkgforge.dev/soar/readme goes into more detail.
| Feature | Description |
|:--:|:--|
| **Universal Package Format Support** | Soar can install and manage portable package formats including [static binaries](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/formats/binaries/static), [self-extractable archives](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/formats/packages/archive), and [AppImages](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/formats/packages/appimage). |
| **System Integration** | Soar [automatically integrates](https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/#desktop-integration) installed packages with your system to provide a native-like experience. |
| **Flexible Repository System** | While Soar comes preconfigured with [official repositories](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/repositories), you can [configure custom repositories](https://soar.qaidvoid.dev/configuration#custom-repository-support) that use any build format as long as they provide compatible metadata. The `.SBUILD` format is only required for the official repositories, not for custom ones. |
| **Security First** | Soar enforces security through checksums and signing verification for package installations. |
| **Userspace** | Soar works completely in Userspace without Superuser (admin/sudo) Privileges. |
| **External Repository Support** | Soar can access packages from sources like [ivan-hc/AM](https://github.com/ivan-hc/AM) and [appimage.github.io](https://github.com/AppImage/appimage.github.io) through metadata provided by pkgforge. These external sources don't directly work with soar but are made compatible through pkgforge's metadata conversion. **Note:** Packages from external repositories are not verified. |
| **Fast Package Operations** | Soar provides efficient package searching, installation, and management with minimal overhead. |
## 📦 Packages
> [!TIP]
> Check out the detailed documentation @ https://docs.pkgforge.dev/repositories/soarpkgs
| Feature | Description |
|:--:|:--|
| **Portable Packages** | Packages are designed to be [portable](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/formats/) across distributions, either through [static linking](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/formats/binaries/static) or by bundling all dependencies. This makes them [distro-agnostic](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/soar/readme/packages#portability). |
| **Extensive Collection** | Official repositories host one of the [largest collections](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/soar/readme/packages#total) of portable packages. Browse them with `soar list` or at [pkgs.pkgforge.dev](https://pkgs.pkgforge.dev/). |
| **Prebuilt Binaries** | 100% of official packages are provided as [prebuilts](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/repositories/soarpkgs/faq#cache), making installation limited only by download speed. |
| **Quality Compilation** | Around 80% of packages are compiled from source with optimizations for performance (LTO), security (ASLR/PIE), and size (MUSL). |
| **High Security Standards** | Official packages are built with [SLSA Build L2 Security Guarantees](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/soar/readme/security). |
| **Community Contributions** | The [`.SBUILD`](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/sbuild/introduction) format in [pkgforge/soarpkgs](https://github.com/pkgforge/soarpkgs) allows community members to submit package definitions, similar to AUR. |
| **Cross-Distro Compatibility** | Some packages are repackaged from other distro repositories, allowing you to run applications from e.g., Arch repositories on Debian-based systems without containers. |
| **Decentralized** | The portable nature of packages means they can be downloaded and used independently of Soar if needed. |
## ☢️ Caveats
> [!NOTE]
> - If you have additional questions, check our [FAQ](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/repositories/soarpkgs/faq) or [create a discussion](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/discussions).
| Design Decisions | The Rationale |
|:--:|:--|
| **Not Reinvent things** | Soar isn't a package manager in the traditional sense, neither is it a [new standard](https://xkcd.com/927/). Think of soar as an amalgamation & the natural progression of tools like [AM](https://github.com/ivan-hc/AM), [bin](https://github.com/marcosnils/bin), [eget](https://github.com/zyedidia/eget), [hysp](https://github.com/pwnwriter/hysp), [nami](https://github.com/txthinking/nami) & [zap](https://github.com/srevinsaju/zap). |
| **Not a System Package Manager** | Soar intentionally complements rather than replaces your distro's package manager. Unlike [Homebrew](https://github.com/Homebrew/brew), we don't handle core system tools/libraries — we let distro package managers excel at that job. Soar provides additional packages or newer versions while avoiding conflicts by operating entirely in userspace and following XDG specifications. |
| **Not a Devtools Manager** | Soar doesn't handle development toolchains by design. We do have completely static/relocatable toolchains in our repo, but it will always be better to just use dedicated tools like [asdf](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf), [aqua](https://github.com/aquaproj/aqua), [chsrc](https://github.com/RubyMetric/chsrc), [mise](https://github.com/jdx/mise), [vfox](https://github.com/version-fox/vfox) etc. |
## 🐞 Bug Reports & Feature Requests
> [!WARNING]
> For reporting any issues related to packaging (Not Soar Core), please use our [Official package repository](https://docs.pkgforge.dev/repositories) at [pkgforge/soarpkgs](https://github.com/pkgforge/soarpkgs).
Soar is a FOSS project primarily maintained by [@QaidVoid](https://github.com/QaidVoid) & a few other [core contributors](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/graphs/contributors), who are all volunteers and do it as a hobby.
To save our time triaging & to ensure your issue/feature-request gets addressed quickly, make sure to:
- Search the [Issues](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/issues) & [Discussion](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/discussions?discussions_q=) tab (Both Closed/Opened) for same/similar issue in case it was already addressed.
- [Open a Discussion](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/discussions/new/choose) instead of an issue if you have a question. Issues should be only created for bug reports and feature requests.
- Use our [Issue Templates](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/issues/new/choose) rather than a blank issue.
> [!NOTE]
> - We assign a specific [priority level (`p0-p3`)](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/labels) for each [valid issue](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/issues) created.
> - Based on the assigned [priority level (`p0-p3`)](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/labels) & our free time, we will do our best to respond/address it.
> - However, this is not a guarantee or an [SLA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service-level_agreement). Please have patience & wait before tagging us again for a response. We thank you for your understanding.
## 💬 Community
We have a growing community on discord to discuss not only Soar/Pkgforge but also other cool projects, feel free to join & hangout anytime.
- [](https://discord.gg/djJUs48Zbu)
- Other Channels: https://docs.pkgforge.dev/contact/chat
## 🤝 Contributing
> [!WARNING]
> While we welcome contributions of all kinds, please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) before submitting us a PR.
Please feel free to:
1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch
3. Submit a pull request
## 📊 Repo Stats
[](https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/stargazers)
[](https://starchart.cc/pkgforge/soar)
## 📝 License
This project is licensed under [MIT](https://spdx.org/licenses/MIT.html) - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
[](https://app.fossa.com/projects/git%2Bgithub.com%2Fpkgforge%2Fsoar?ref=badge_large)
## Minimum Supported Rust Version (MSRV)
v1.82.0