In the jailbreak store known as Cydia, apps and tweaks are distributed by means of independent repositories. These ‘repos’ serve as distribution channels for offering Cydia packages to customers from different companies and developers.
While larger repos, like BigBoss, index hundreds and hundreds of Cydia packages for users to install, many smaller repos can tend to clutter up the Cydia experience. If you’re interested in creating an independent repo of your favorite tweaks, or hosting your own packages in Cydia, there’s an easy way to create your very own Cydia repo right on your iPhone…
iRepo, by Itay, is a $1.99 Cydia app that lets you host your very own repo from the iPhone. You can upload .deb files for other Cydia users to install, and you can share packages with friends that would be too large to email otherwise.
The best part about iRepo is that you don’t need to know the technicalities of how repos and Cydia packages work. The iRepo UI and setup is easy for beginners, and anyone can host their own packages. We will note that we’ve run into trouble with iRepo’s general usability, and it seems to be hit or miss. Hopefully the app will be improved with future updates.
Once you’ve purchased iRepo in Cydia, the app will install itself on your iPhone’s homescreen. You can then enter the app and configure your repo’s settings and details to start hosting. There’s also the option of adding a password to keep your repo’s access limited to only certain people.
When the details are entered, tap “Save” and then “Enable Repo.” Then you’ll need to SSH into your iPhone through your favorite desktop client to add your .deb files. To learn how to SSH into your iPhone, refer to our detailed tutorial. Refer to our tutorial on how to manually install .deb files for more information on that topic.
Here’s a video walkthrough of iRepo for a more detailed explanation:
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nd0qylIo0g[/tube]
Jeff didn’t have a very good experience with the package, but perhaps your experience will be different.
Let us know what you put in your own Cydia repo. How will you be using iRepo to host packages? Also, feel free to leave any questions or comments below.
