sparkle-project/Sparkle

A software update framework for macOS observed · 2026-08-28

github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle · homepage · Objective-C · NOASSERTION (other) observed · 2026-08-28

Health v2 · maintenance only

95/100

Activity 99
Release rhythm 86
Longevity 100

Flags: no_license

How is this computed?

round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-03. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.

gap_med: 32.5
age_days: 6231
days_rel: 17
days_push: 9
n_releases_24m: 13

Full methodology

Adoption not part of the score

9567 stars · 1127 forks observed · 2026-08-28

What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded

Sparkle is a secure and reliable software update framework for macOS applications, serving as the de-facto standard used by thousands of apps. It supports EdDSA and Apple Code Signing verification, delta updates, sandboxed apps, custom update UIs, and RSS-based appcasts for release distribution.

Use cases

add automatic software updates to a macos app
deliver delta updates to reduce download size
sign and verify app updates securely
support beta update channels and phased rollouts
update sandboxed macos applications
serve release notes via rss appcast

When to choose

you ship a macOS application and need reliable, secure self-updating
you want delta updates and atomic installs without writing update code
you need sandboxing support, beta channels, or custom update UIs

When to avoid

your app targets platforms other than macOS
you distribute exclusively through the Mac App Store, which handles updates itself

Facets

framework · maturity stable

sdk security deployment operating-systems developer-tools desktop-applications security cpp software-update appcasting delta-updates eddsa-signatures code-signing sandboxed-apps objective-c self-updating macos swift

4 sources

readme: https://github.com/sparkle-project/Sparkle · fetched 2026-08-28 · 2d6febeb4fee
homepage: https://sparkle-project.org · fetched 2026-08-29 · 1cd78fdc72b9
site_page: https://sparkle-project.org/about · fetched 2026-08-29 · f37f0e31a225
site_page: https://sparkle-project.org/documentation · fetched 2026-08-29 · cbbacd13eeee

Member repositories

Repository	Role	Health v2
sparkle-project/Sparkle	main	95

For agents

markdown · JSON · MCP: product_card(name="sparkle-project/Sparkle")

Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem