whatisgithub

What is ir-downloader?

forexamplezero/ir-downloader — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

15Audience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

In one sentence

A GitHub Actions workflow that downloads files from direct links and stores them permanently in your forked repo, useful for bypassing local network restrictions.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Downloads via Actions
      Stores files in repo
      Auto sorts by type
    Tech stack
      GitHub Actions
      aria2
      7-Zip
    Use cases
      Bypass network limits
      Large file downloads
      Encrypt and compress
    Audience
      Restricted internet users

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Download large files (up to 30 GB) using GitHub's servers instead of a restricted local connection.

USE CASE 2

Automatically sort downloaded files into folders by type such as video, audio, image, or document.

USE CASE 3

Split large downloads into 90 MB chunks to stay within GitHub's file size limits.

USE CASE 4

Encrypt and compress downloaded files with 7-Zip before storing them.

What is it built with?

GitHub Actionsaria27-Zip

How does it compare?

forexamplezero/ir-downloader13127905/deep-learning-based-air-gesture-text-recognition-6xvl/paralives-plugins-index
Stars151515
LanguagePythonPython
Setup difficultyeasymoderateeasy
Complexity2/53/52/5
Audiencegeneraldevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Requires forking the repo and enabling Actions write permissions before the first run.

So what is it?

ForExampleZERO/ir-downloader is a GitHub Actions-based file downloader that fetches files from direct HTTP/HTTPS links and stores them permanently inside a GitHub repository. The tool is written in Persian and targets users who face internet access restrictions, as indicated by the topics proxy and vpn and the topic iran. The core idea is to use GitHub's own servers to perform the download on the user's behalf, bypassing local network limitations entirely. To use it, you fork the repository, enable write permissions for GitHub Actions in the repository settings, then trigger the download workflow manually from the Actions tab. You provide one or more direct download URLs and an optional password for encryption. The workflow downloads the file, detects its type automatically (video, audio, image, document, or other), and sorts it into the corresponding subfolder. If the file is larger than 90 MB, the tool splits it into 90 MB chunks automatically to stay within GitHub's per-file size limit. Files can optionally be compressed and encrypted using 7-Zip. Once the workflow finishes, you download everything by clicking Code → Download ZIP from your forked repository. Key behaviors described in the README include: permanent storage in the repository rather than temporary workflow artifacts (which expire after 90 days), up to 10 retries on download failure, and using the aria2 download utility internally for resumable transfers. The README states files up to 30 GB have been tested successfully. Download speed depends on GitHub's runner servers rather than the user's local connection. The repository has no listed primary programming language.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to fork ir-downloader and enable GitHub Actions write permissions to start downloading files.
Prompt 2
Explain how ir-downloader automatically splits files over 90 MB into chunks.
Prompt 3
Walk me through triggering the download workflow with a direct URL and an optional password.
Prompt 4
Help me understand why files land in the repository instead of expiring workflow artifacts.

Frequently asked questions

What is ir-downloader?

A GitHub Actions workflow that downloads files from direct links and stores them permanently in your forked repo, useful for bypassing local network restrictions.

How hard is ir-downloader to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is ir-downloader for?

Mainly general.

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