AltDirect

A tiny, dependency‑free static helper page for launching AltStore Sources (AltSources) in your preferred sideloading app. Paste or pass an AltSource feed URL and quickly open it in SideStore, AltStore Classic, Feather, or LiveContainer.

Live page: https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect/

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What it does

• Generates “Open in …” buttons for:
  • SideStore
  • AltStore Classic
  • Feather
  • LiveContainer
• Supports one‑tap deep linking via the r (redirect target) parameter together with the url parameter.
• Provides convenient actions:
  • Copy Source URL
  • View Source Data (opens the feed URL in a new tab)
• Mobile‑friendly UI.

Caution

AltSource URLs including question marks (?) or ampersands (&) may encounter issues due to how URLs are handled by some clients and how the site constructs redirect links. If this causes problems in practice, it will be addressed in a future update.

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How it works

• If no query parameters are provided, you’ll see a simple form where you can paste a source URL (with Paste and Go actions).
• If ?url=… is present, the page renders “Open in …” buttons. Clicking a button updates the URL to include r=<target> while preserving your url (and exclude if present).
• If both ?r=… and ?url=… are present, redirect.js immediately redirects the browser to the app’s custom scheme based on r.

Files:

• index.html — UI, query‑param handling, and link generation.
• redirect.js — minimal redirect helper that reads r and url, maps r to an app scheme, and performs window.location.replace(...).

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Usage

Creating Your Link

Create your link using the query parameters below. These parameters are stable and will not be changed in a way that requires updates to your links.

Query Parameters

• url (string, optional)
  • The source/feed URL (http/https). Leading/trailing spaces are trimmed (including %20) and, if the scheme is omitted, https:// is automatically prefixed.
  • Example values:
    • https://apps.altstore.io/
    • apps.altstore.io (becomes https://apps.altstore.io)
• exclude (string, optional)
  • Comma‑separated list of buttons to hide. Valid keys:
    • sidestore, altstore, feather, livecontainer
  • Example: exclude=altstore,feather
• r (string, optional)
  • One of: sidestore, altstore, feather, livecontainer
  • Must be used together with url. When present, the page immediately redirects using these mappings:
    • sidestore → sidestore://source?url=<url>
    • altstore → altstore-classic://source?url=<url>
    • feather → feather://source/<url>
    • livecontainer → livecontainer://source?url=<url>

Image Embedding

Create a link above and insert it into the following code snippet (replace the example URL with your source):

<a href="https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect/?url=https://example.com/source.json&exclude=altstore,feather" target="_blank">
  <img src="https://github.com/CelloSerenity/altdirect/blob/main/assets/png/AltSource_Blue.png?raw=true" alt="Add AltSource" width="200">
</a>

If you wish, you can also embed a direct link to your .ipa (replace https://example.com/app.ipa with your .ipa download link) for image consistency:

<a href="https://example.com/app.ipa" target="_blank">
  <img src="https://github.com/CelloSerenity/altdirect/blob/main/assets/png/Download_Blue.png?raw=true" alt="Download .ipa" width="200">
</a>

Together, they appear as:

Pretty nice, huh?

Note: The URL format and asset links will not be modified in a way that breaks site functionality or requires action on your end. In addition, I don't see github.io being deprecated anytime soon, so the hosted page is expected to remain available.

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Examples

Using the hosted page at https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect:

• Render buttons for a source feed:
  • https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect/?url=https://example.com/source.json
• Render buttons, hide specific targets:
  • https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect/?url=https://example.com/source.json&exclude=altstore,feather
• Direct deep link to SideStore (automatic redirect):
  • https://celloserenity.github.io/altdirect/?url=https://example.com/source.json&r=sidestore

Note: The app schemes above are constructed exactly as this tool generates them.

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Security and privacy

• This page intentionally implements an “open redirect”-style flow via r + url so you can deep‑link into custom app schemes. Only open links from sources you trust. I am not liable for any misuse or adverse effects resulting from following links provided by others.
• There is no tracking, analytics, or external requests in this repo. Clipboard access is user‑initiated (Paste/Copy buttons) and subject to browser permissions.

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Acknowledgments

• AltStore, SideStore, Feather, and LiveContainer are trademarks of their respective owners. This project is unaffiliated and simply provides convenience links.
• Transistor for the logo and link assets
• Meshal for the catchy name
• Intradeus, whose redirector the project is based on
• Riley Testut for the AltStore diamond and invention of AltSources

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License

Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL‑3.0).