Yatko

What is Yatko?

Yatko (yatko.app) is a lightweight link service that transforms any public GitHub repository into clean, platform-aware download URLs. Instead of sending visitors to a confusing GitHub releases page with multiple asset options, Yatko detects each visitor's operating system and architecture, then redirects them straight to the correct binary. The core idea is simple: swap github.com for yatko.app in any repo URL, and the right file finds its way to the right user — no manual selection required.

Who it's for

• Open-source maintainers who want to give their users a frictionless download experience without building a custom release page.
• DevOps and release engineers who need predictable, scriptable download links for CI pipelines and automated deployment workflows.
• End users who are tired of guessing which asset to pick from a long list of release files and just want the binary that works on their machine.

Key features

Domain swap URL

The landing page URL mirrors GitHub's structure exactly: yatko.app/owner/repo. If you know the GitHub path, you already know the Yatko link — no configuration, no setup, no account needed.

Direct download redirect

The /dl/owner/repo endpoint detects the visitor's platform in real time and issues a redirect to the matching release asset. One click, and the correct binary starts downloading.

Link API for automation

The /api/link/owner/repo endpoint returns a JSON response containing the resolved download URL. This makes it trivial to integrate Yatko into build scripts, update checkers, or any automated tooling that needs to fetch the latest release artifact.

What stands out

"Swap the domain — one click to the right binary."

That's the entire pitch, and it's refreshingly honest. Yatko doesn't try to be a full release management platform or a package manager. It solves exactly one problem — matching a GitHub release asset to a visitor's OS and architecture — and solves it with a URL transformation so simple that it feels obvious in hindsight. The API endpoint adds a layer of utility for developers without complicating the core experience for regular users.

Worth checking out if…

You maintain a public GitHub project with multiple release assets and want to eliminate the "which file do I download?" confusion. It's also worth a look if you're tired of maintaining custom download pages or redirect scripts, or if you want a zero-maintenance way to point users at the right binary from documentation, READMEs, or social media links. And if you're building automation around release distribution, the JSON API gives you a clean, dependency-free way to resolve download URLs on the fly.