Firelink

A fast, focused desktop download manager for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

What is Firelink?

Firelink manages direct downloads, browser captures, media, playlists, queues, and scheduling from one desktop app.

It uses a Rust and Tauri backend with a React and TypeScript interface. Required download and media engines are bundled with the app.

Status

Firelink 1.4.0 is the latest desktop release.

Use the latest Firelink Companion release, 2.2.0 with Firelink. The Companion is maintained in the Firelink-Extension repository.

The project is actively maintained. See the changelog for release history and current work.

Translations are available for English, Simplified Chinese, Hebrew, Persian, Ukrainian, and Russian. Translation corrections are welcome.

Features

• Segmented HTTP and HTTPS downloads with retries, speed limits, and connection controls.
• Media and playlist downloads through yt-dlp, FFmpeg, and Deno.
• BitTorrent downloads from .torrent files, magnet links, and browser handoff, with file selection, web seeds, seeding, and live diagnostics.
• Standalone Download and Torrent Properties windows with live controls, transfer details, and safe Torrent relocation.
• Adaptive mirror selection for multi-source downloads.
• An Add window for metadata, duplicate handling, save locations, and download options.
• Persistent queues with pause, resume, retry, redownload, and scheduling.
• Visible allocation and resume status with clearer transfer diagnostics.
• Live speed and connection controls for active downloads.
• A customizable download table with sorting, column selection, reordering, and bulk actions.
• File organization with categories, default folders, and per-download locations.
• Appearance preferences with window styles, multilingual fonts, and localized calendar dates.
• Browser handoff through local pairing and signed requests.
• Tray controls, notifications, sounds, sleep prevention, and secure credential storage.
• RTL support for Hebrew and Persian.

Installation

Download the latest Firelink release.

Platform	Package	Notes
macOS Apple silicon	.dmg	Ad-hoc signed and not notarized. macOS may require approval in System Settings -> Privacy & Security.
Windows x64	NSIS .exe	Unsigned. Windows SmartScreen may display a warning.
Windows x64 portable	.zip	Extract to a writable folder and launch firelink.exe.
Linux x64	.deb, .rpm, or .AppImage	Choose the package for your distribution, or use AppImage.

All packages include aria2, yt-dlp, FFmpeg, Deno, and SQLite support. No separate engine installation is required.

macOS security warning and first launch

Firelink's macOS release is ad-hoc signed but not notarized by Apple. A paid Apple Developer Program account is required for Apple's Developer ID signing and notarization, so macOS may warn that it cannot verify Firelink or check that it is free of malware. This warning does not by itself mean that the app contains malware.

Only use these steps for Firelink downloaded from the official GitHub release page. After moving Firelink.app to Applications, use one of these methods to approve the first launch:

1. In Finder, Control-click or right-click Firelink.app, choose Open, then choose Open again.

2. Try opening Firelink once, then open System Settings -> Privacy & Security, scroll down, and choose Open Anyway for Firelink.

3. In Terminal, remove only the downloaded-file quarantine flag:

   xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Firelink.app

   If Firelink is stored somewhere else, replace the path with the actual path to Firelink.app. The approval is normally needed only once.

Windows portable ZIP notes

• Keep the folder writable. Avoid Program Files and read-only media.
• Settings, queues, logs, and WebView data are stored beside the executable in data/.
• Close Firelink before moving or copying the folder.
• Treat the folder as sensitive because it contains the extension pairing credential.
• The installer remains the supported path for firelink:// browser launch registration.

Browser integration

Firelink Companion 2.2.0 connects browser downloads, links, media pages, magnets, and Torrent metadata to Firelink. Use the latest Companion release with the latest Firelink release.

Captured links open Firelink's Add window for review before they are started or queued.

See the Companion README for browser installation, pairing, and privacy details.

Development

Requirements

• Node.js 22 or newer
• npm
• Rust and Cargo
• Tauri 2 platform prerequisites

Quick start

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/nimbold/Firelink.git
cd Firelink
npm install
npm run tauri dev

Run the main checks with:

node --test scripts/*.node-test.js
npm test -- --run
npm run build
cd src-tauri && cargo test --all-targets

See RELEASE.md for engine provisioning, packaging, and release verification.

Contributing and support

• Report bugs and request features in GitHub Issues.
• Open focused pull requests with tests for behavior changes.
• Report translation corrections in an issue or pull request.
• Read CHANGELOG.md for release history.

Credits

Core technologies:

• Tauri 2, Rust, Tokio
• React, TypeScript, Zustand
• SQLite

Bundled engines:

• aria2
• yt-dlp
• FFmpeg
• Deno

Font licenses, engine versions, source references, and third-party notices are documented in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.

License

Firelink is available under the MIT License. Bundled tools and fonts retain their own licenses.