ExecutableUpdaterCPP

A professional, header-only C++ library for automatic executable updates on Windows.

This project enables seamless version checking, downloading, and updating of Windows applications with minimal setup. Built using modern C++ and native Windows APIs, it’s ideal for portable or standalone apps needing self-update capability.

📦 Overview

ExecutableUpdaterCPP is a lightweight, header-only C++ updater framework for Windows applications. It checks a remote JSON file for the latest version, downloads the updated executable if needed, and safely replaces and restarts the application—all automatically.

Designed for developers who want a clean and non-intrusive way to keep apps up to date.

✨ Features

• ✅ Header-only design — just include and use
• ✅ Modern C++11+ compatible
• ✅ Uses nlohmann/json for JSON parsing (included)
• ✅ No third-party libraries for networking (WinINet API)
• ✅ Full executable replacement with seamless restart
• ✅ Clean batch scripting for update execution
• ✅ Temp directory management
• ✅ Built-in logging and error handling
• ✅ Simple one-line update check

🧾 JSON Format (Update Metadata)

Your hosted version file should return:

{
  "AppVersion": "1.1.0",
  "UpdateLink": "https://yourdomain.com/downloads/YourApp_v1.1.exe"
}


| Key          | Description                      |
| ------------ | -------------------------------- |
| `AppVersion` | The latest available version     |
| `UpdateLink` | Direct download link to the .exe |



## 🧰 Requirements

* Windows OS
* C++11 or later
* No installer needed
* Link with:

  * `wininet.lib`
  * `shell32.lib`



## 📂 Project Structure

ExecutableUpdaterCPP/ ├── main.cpp # Example main entry ├── Updater/ │ ├── Updater.h # Header-only updater implementation │ └── json.hpp # nlohmann/json single-header library └── README.md # This documentation

## 🚀 Usage Example (main.cpp)

cpp
#include <iostream>
#include "Updater/Updater.h"

int main() {
    const std::string currentVersion = "1.0";

    std::cout << "Starting application (v" << currentVersion << ")...\n";

    if (Updated(currentVersion)) {
        std::cout << "Update found and applied! Restarting...\n";
        return 0;
    } else {
        std::cout << "Application is up to date. Continuing...\n";
    }

    // Your normal application logic
    std::cout << "Running main functionality...\n";
    std::cin.get();
    return 0;
}

🔧 Integration Guide

Step 1: Add Files

• Copy Updater.h and json.hpp into an Updater/ folder in your project.

• Include the header:

  #include "Updater/Updater.h"

Step 2: Configure Version JSON URL

• Inside Updater.h or via checkForUpdates():

  #define AUTO_UPDATER_CONFIG_URL "https://yourdomain.com/version.json"

Step 3: Link Libraries (Windows-only)

• Add wininet.lib and shell32.lib to your linker settings.

🧪 Testing

1. Host a valid version.json on your server.

2. Launch the application.

3. The updater compares versions and performs:

   • A download of the new .exe
   • File replacement via .bat script
   • Silent relaunch of the new version

🛡 Security Recommendations

• Host your JSON and executable on HTTPS
• Use file signatures or hashing (planned)
• Keep download links private if necessary

📜 License

Licensed under the MIT License. You are free to use, modify, and distribute with attribution.

👤 Author

myexistences GitHub: https://github.com/myexistences Repo: ExecutableUpdaterCPP

🙏 Contribute

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!

• Fork this repo
• Create a feature branch
• Submit a Pull Request

📊 Repository Statistics