A recent article highlights several command-line and graphical tools that automate the installation and updating of software binaries from GitHub releases on Linux systems. These utilities address the limitations of traditional package managers by handling pre-compiled applications not yet available in official repositories. Published on December 23, 2025, the overview covers options for various distributions and user preferences.
Linux users often rely on package managers such as apt, dnf, and pacman to handle software installation and updates. However, developers frequently distribute modern tools—built with languages like Go, Rust, and Deno—as pre-compiled binaries through GitHub releases, especially for new projects absent from distro repositories. This approach creates a need for specialized tools to bridge the gap.
One such utility is deb-get, designed for Debian and Ubuntu-based systems. Created by Martin Wimpress, known for Ubuntu MATE, it extends apt-get functionality to third-party .deb packages from GitHub, PPAs, and direct sources. Users can install it with a simple command and benefit from a curated list of supported software, though a GitHub Personal Access Token is recommended to avoid rate limits during updates.
For those preferring a graphical interface, Autonomix offers a modern GTK4-based application similar to Android's Obtainium. It manages formats like .deb, .rpm, AppImage, Flatpak, and Snap, storing details in a local database for easy tracking and one-click updates. Installation involves downloading the appropriate .deb or .rpm file from GitHub.
Eget provides a minimalist command-line solution, fetching and extracting binaries from GitHub across Linux, BSD, and macOS without complex setup. It supports specific versions, pre-releases, and hash checks for security.
Other notable tools include Install Release, a Python-based CLI called 'ir' that works with GitHub and GitLab, enabling configuration synchronization across machines; bin, a rootless manager supporting diverse sources like Codeberg and Docker with rollback features; stew, which uses declarative Stewfiles for reproducible installations and includes a terminal UI; and AFX, focused on CLI binaries plus shell integrations via YAML configs for bash, zsh, and fish.
These tools collectively reduce manual effort in maintaining up-to-date software environments on Linux.