Nests

Soar's "nest" feature allows you to add custom, self-hosted package repositories. Think of them as homebrew's taps, but for Soar. This allows developers to distribute their applications directly to users, and for users to get the latest versions of software without waiting for official package managers.

Managing Nests

Adding a Nest

To add a nest, you need the URL of the nest repository. You can then use the nest add command:

soar nest add <url> <nest_name>

The <nest_name> is a local alias for the nest, and the <url> is the direct URL for the nest metadata or github repo

Example: Add a nest from a GitHub repository

soar nest add github:pkgforge/soar soar

Example: Add a nest from direct metadata URL

soar nest add https://github.com/pkgforge/soar/releases/download/soar-nest/x86_64-Linux.json soar

Soar will then add the nest info to the database for tracking. Every nest name is prepended with nest- to prevent collision with repository names.

Removing a Nest

To remove a nest, use the nest remove command with the nest's name:

soar nest remove <nest_name>

Example: Remove the soar nest

soar nest remove nest-soar

Listing Nests

To see all the nests you've added, use the nest list command:

soar nest list

This will output a list of all configured nests and their corresponding URLs.

Creating a Nest

For developers who want to create their own nests to distribute software, Soar provides a straightforward process involving a GitHub workflow and an .SBUILD file. For more detailed instructions, please refer to the full guide on creating nests.