A TEMP Distribution Setup for My Ripper App

I’ve been working on a desktop utility called Ripper, a Python + CustomTkinter app that downloads video and audio from supported sites (starting with YouTube). The app itself has been a bit rough to build and maintain — but distributing it has been the annoying part.

GitHub won’t host my repository, let alone the EXE, due to there size and I don’t want to rely on sketchy file hosts or temporary mirrors. So I finally figured out a temporary setup that’s stable and easy for users to follow.

This post explains the distribution workflow and why I’m using it.

Why I’m Using this Approach

The EXE and source code are too large to push to GitHub, even when the ffmpeg EXE is zipped, and one of my main goals is that I don't want the user to have to hassle with getting ffmpeg. So, I set up a public Google Drive folder where users can get the zipped EXE file and use the app right away. But I want to emphasize that there’s nothing malicious.

1. Google Drive Hosts the EXE

Google Drive ended up being the simplest reliable host. It gives me:

A clean public link

No ads

No expiration

No weird redirects

Instant updates when I replace the file

Here’s the current download link:

Download Ripper (Google Drive)https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w6rMgCAcSEteAssXIGJmYHrtyPHY99tC/view

This is the only official download source.

1. GitHub Pages Hosts Everything Else

Since GitHub Pages can host static content, I built a simple project page that contains:

https://codebunny20.github.io/

The official download link

Feature list

Tech stack

Build instructions

Planned features

Version notes

Development updates

This page is now the “home base” for Ripper. Any time I push a new version, I update the Google Drive file and update the GitHub Pages site with the new version info.

It keeps everything centralized without relying on GitHub Releases.

Why This Setup Works Better

It’s not fancy — but it’s reliable.

I can update the EXE instantly

I can update the GitHub Pages site just as fast

Users always have one clean, official place to check for updates

I avoid hosting restrictions

I keep full control over distribution

For a small utility app, reliability matters more than anything else.

Current Status

Ripper is currently at v1.0.3 (as of 8/22/26). The GitHub Pages site is where I’ll be posting all future updates, dev logs, and release notes.

The app already supports:

MP4 downloads

MP3 downloads

MP3 extraction from local MP4 files

Live progress

Custom save folder

Bundled ffmpeg

And I have a long list of planned improvements — more formats, more sites, better UI polish, batch downloads, metadata editing, and more.

Closing

This distribution workflow gives me a clean, dependable way to share the app without fighting hosting limitations. If you’re building a small desktop tool and don’t want to deal with GitHub Releases, this setup might be worth copying.

I’ll keep posting updates on the GitHub Pages site as development continues.