fdroid - F-Droid Custom APK Repository

Deploys an F-Droid repository server using austozi/fdroidserver to host custom APKs for family devices.

Configuration

Required Variables

Set in inventory or vault:

fdroid_keystore_password: "your-secure-password-here"  # Min 12 chars

Optional Variables

See defaults/main.yml for all configuration options.

Key settings:

fdroid_version: "26.2.1"
fdroid_port: 8070
fdroid_repo_url: "https://apk.jokester.fr/repo"
fdroid_repo_name: "F-Droid Repository"
fdroid_repo_description: "Custom APK repository"
fdroid_update_interval: "12h"

# Nginx reverse proxy
fdroid_nginx_enabled: false
fdroid_nginx_hostname: apk.nas.local

Usage

Adding APKs

scp my-app.apk jokester@andromeda:/opt/podman/fdroid/data/repo/

The container automatically re-runs fdroid update every fdroid_update_interval (default: 12h) to regenerate the signed index.

To trigger an immediate update:

ssh jokester@andromeda "podman exec fdroid-server fdroid update -c"

F-Droid Client Setup

On family phones, open F-Droid and add a new repository:

Repository URL: https://apk.jokester.fr/repo
Accept the fingerprint on first connection

Keystore Backup

The signing keystore at {{ podman_projects_dir }}/fdroid/data/keystore.p12 is critical. If lost, all clients must re-add the repository. Back it up.

Architecture

Container: austozi/fdroidserver (Apache + fdroidserver + Android build-tools)
Storage: Persistent data directory for keystore, config, metadata, and APKs
Networking: Localhost binding, nginx reverse proxy for HTTPS
Index updates: Automatic on configurable interval

Dependencies

podman
nginx (if fdroid_nginx_enabled: true)