Flatpak External Data Checker is a command-line utility for maintaining external source references stored in application manifests. It inspects those references to determine whether URLs have become invalid or newer upstream material is available.
The tool is particularly useful when manifests depend on archives, Git repositories, standalone files or third-party data that changes independently of the packaging repository. Instead of requiring maintainers to check every upstream source manually, it provides a framework of specialised checkers that can discover changes and feed them into an automated maintenance workflow.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Scans manifests for external source data and checks whether referenced material remains available.
- Detects outdated sources and can identify newer upstream versions.
- Supports checker metadata embedded directly alongside a manifest source definition.
- Includes specialised checkers for common hosting sites, release feeds and web resources.
- Can verify URLs and detect broken links before they disrupt application builds.
- Handles source information stored in JSON and YAML manifests.
- Can update source URLs, checksums and related metadata when a newer release is discovered.
- Supports Git repository sources as well as downloadable archives and individual files.
- Can operate as part of scheduled continuous-integration workflows.
- Provides canonical manifest output, helping keep generated changes consistent.
- Supports automated pull-request workflows for repositories that opt into update checking.
- Includes an OCI container workflow for running the checker in isolated automation environments.
- Uses asynchronous network operations for checking external resources efficiently.
- Includes schema validation and tests for manifest and checker behaviour.
Website: github.com/flathub-infra/flatpak-external-data-checker
Support:
Developer: Flathub contributors
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Flatpak External Data Checker is written in Python. Learn Python with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
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