F-Droid

Last updated on 2025-07-01 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 52 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • How can I install an application from F-Droid?

Objectives

  • Explore the F-Droid repository
  • Learn how to insall an application from F-Droid

Introduction

F-Droid is a repository of free and open source Android applications. We will try out some of these applications.

Install an application from F-Droid

On your Android device, open an internet browser and go to https://f-droid.org/.

There should be a button download F-droid, press on this button and wait for F-Droid to be downloaded. Once downloaded, attempt to install it - you may need to temporarily enable permissoins for installation of applications from the files folder.

Once F-Droid is installed on your Android device, browse the applications available on F-Droid and install one on your Android device. You may need to give the F-Droid application permissions to install applications.

Challenge 1: Can you do it?

If you have F-Droid installed and have installed an application, try out the application and describe what it does. Write down where you can find the source code for this application.

If you do not have F-Droid installed, browse https://f-droid.org/en/packages/ and describe two applications you find interesting. Write down where you can obtain the source code for these applications.

As an example:

GCompris (https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.gcompris.full) is a suite of educational games for children between the ages of 2 and 10. It is developed at https://invent.kde.org/education/gcompris.git.

Challenge 2: Can you do it?

Examine https://f-droid.org/en/contribute/.

How can one contribute to F-Droid? Is the source code for running F-Droid available?

There are many ways to contribute to F-Droid, examples include: 1. Translation 2. Testing applications 3. Improving the F-Droid infrastructure 4. Helping others to use F-Droid by answering questions in community communication channels

The source code for running F-Droid is available at https://gitlab.com/fdroid/ and comprises code for the: 1. Android client 2. Server tools 3. App metadata files 4. Website

Key Points

  • F-Droid has many free and open source applications
  • If you are worried about security of an application, you can examine its source code or ask someone else to do so for you
  • It is possible to run your own F-Droid repository to distribute Android applications which you verify are good to distribute