WinConveyoR
A cross-platform package manager for Windows and Linux
Hey,
For the past year, my teammate and I have been building WinConveyoR, a cross-platform package manager for Windows and Linux. We didn't wrap existing tools, we designed every layer ourselves, from the package format to the network protocol.
GitHub: WinConveyoR
How it works:
WinConveyoR is built in layers, each handling a specific part of the package lifecycle:
The package format: We designed .WIZARD, a custom binary format inspired by ELF. Each package contains structured headers, metadata, a payload, and a SHA-256 signature for integrity verification.
The distribution protocol: Packages are distributed over WCR, our custom TCP protocol. When a client requests a package from a mirror, it performs an RSA-OAEP key exchange, then the transfer is encrypted with AES-256-CBC.
The core engine: libwconr is a C library that handles the heavy lifting: parsing .WIZARD files using mmap and managing all cryptographic operations through OpenSSL. It's the foundation everything else builds on.
The CLI: The command-line tool is written in Python and communicates with libwconr through ctypes bindings. It covers the full package lifecycle, from search and install to integrity checks and account management.
The GUI: An Electron/React/TypeScript desktop app with a VS Code-inspired dark theme. It connects to the same API as the CLI, it's just a visual alternative.
The mirrors: Self-hostable Docker containers that store and distribute packages over WCR. Organizations can deploy their own mirrors.
It's a two-person school project, but we're treating it like a real product. All feedback is welcome!
Thanks!
Screenshots:
Home f
Installed Packages
Settings
CLI Commands
