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I've seen several posts about different auto-update frameworks for Window/.NET including:

I was interested in the main differences between these auto-update frameworks, as to why one would choose one over the other.

I am also interested in how secure all of them are. I know for most of them, you must use a hosted XML file to have your app update manifests. How does one make it secure so that a person that hasn't purchased your application, or doesn't use your application simply can't go to your hosted site and download your binaries?

Michael Herrmann
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mservidio
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    Similar question: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4524147/free-solution-for-automatic-updates-with-a-net-c-app There is a brief note about each framework there as well. – Brook Sep 10 '11 at 19:45
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    That question doesn't really list any of the advantages/disadvantages of using one over the other, it doesn't answer the question really. – mservidio Sep 10 '11 at 23:13

2 Answers2

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There is another solution called Applife. http://www.kineticjump.com/update/

Regarding securing the download. What you could do is secure the download behind an Forefront server. This server could then authenticate using Active Directory.

user793390
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  • Thanks, this looks cool. How would you authenticate using Active Directory though if you're authenticating users over the internet as opposed to an intranet? – mservidio Nov 02 '11 at 12:45
  • have you used AppLife? I'm curious to here what people think of it. The site shows that it has a nice feature list, though I'm curious to hear a first hand account. – mservidio Nov 08 '11 at 00:18
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If you are an enterprise or a startup wishing to scale, then Omaha is the most powerful solution. Otherwise, your choice will be affected by personal preference and the language in which your main application is written. If you are using C# and want silent updates, then Squirrel might be a good fit. If you are using .NET and want graphical updates, then pick AutoUpdater.NET or the commercial wyUpdate. Finally, if you are not using .NET but still want graphical updates then WinSparkle may be your best choice.

Taken from this article.

Regarding your question of how secure they are in terms of preventing people from obtaining a new version to which they may not be entitled: This needs to be implemented on the server side. You could for instance use a signed S3 URL to only make the download link available when an eligible user checks for an update.

Michael Herrmann
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