AB Download Manager — Open-Source Download Manager with Speed Acceleration

Introduction

AB Download Manager is a free download manager built with Kotlin and Compose Multiplatform. It accelerates file downloads by splitting them into multiple threads and supports pause/resume, scheduling, and browser integration. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

What AB Download Manager Does

• Accelerates downloads by splitting files into multiple simultaneous connections
• Supports pause, resume, and retry for interrupted downloads
• Integrates with Chrome and Firefox via a companion browser extension
• Organizes downloads into categories with configurable save locations
• Provides a download queue with scheduling and bandwidth throttling

Architecture Overview

The application is built with Kotlin using Compose Multiplatform for the UI, targeting desktop platforms. The download engine handles HTTP range requests to split files into chunks downloaded in parallel, then merges them on completion. A local server component communicates with the browser extension via native messaging to intercept download links. The queue manager handles scheduling, concurrency limits, and bandwidth allocation.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Download prebuilt packages from the GitHub releases page for your OS
• Build from source with Gradle: clone the repo and run ./gradlew packageDistributionForCurrentOS
• Configure concurrent download limits, thread count per file, and bandwidth caps in settings
• Set up category-based rules to auto-sort downloads by file type into folders
• Install the browser extension and connect it to the running desktop app

Key Features

• Multi-threaded downloads: split files across multiple connections for faster speeds
• Browser integration: capture downloads from Chrome and Firefox automatically
• Pause and resume: resume interrupted downloads without starting over
• Queue management: schedule downloads and set concurrency limits
• Cross-platform: native desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Comparison with Similar Tools

• IDM (Internet Download Manager): Windows-only and paid; AB Download Manager is free and cross-platform
• Free Download Manager: feature-rich but closed source; this is fully open source
• JDownloader: Java-based with a focus on file hosting sites; AB Download Manager is lighter
• aria2: CLI-only download utility; AB Download Manager provides a full graphical interface
• Motrix: Electron-based download manager; AB Download Manager uses Compose for a more native feel

FAQ

Q: Is AB Download Manager really free? A: Yes, it is completely free and open source with no ads or premium tiers.

Q: Which browsers are supported for integration? A: Chrome and Firefox are supported via a companion browser extension. Other Chromium-based browsers like Edge also work.

Q: Can it resume downloads after a network interruption? A: Yes, as long as the server supports HTTP range requests, downloads can be paused and resumed.

Q: Does it support downloading from YouTube or streaming sites? A: It is a general-purpose download manager for direct file links. It does not extract video streams from sites like YouTube.

Sources

• Repository: https://github.com/amir1376/ab-download-manager
• Releases: https://github.com/amir1376/ab-download-manager/releases