Japt-Proxy is a JAVA caching proxy designed for Debian's APT-System. It is written to enhance APT's performance by leveraging the power of caching technology.
Japt-Proxy is especially useful for users with limited internet connection capacities. That said, it is also ideal for installing complete Debian systems over the internet, more specifically, through the proxy. Even with high-volume internet connections, Japt-Proxy can still greatly reduce the time required for installing or updating Debian on multiple machines.
Some may question why Japt-Proxy is built on Java. However, this software's developer cites that using Java enabled the creation of the fastest and most reliable APT-proxy. Java and the Apache Software Foundation offer fantastic libraries for this type of work, making it easy to bring this tool to life. Users who remain sceptical about the programming language can put Japt-Proxy to the test, as it only takes around five minutes to install.
It is important to note that general proxy servers do not supersede APT-proxies. Japt-Proxy is specifically designed to work efficiently with Debian archives, recognising file characteristics such as the fact that .deb files will not change. This means that the software will not re-check the existence of newer versions of any given file. Furthermore, the user can configure Japt-Proxy to delete older versions of packages in its cache directory – something that a general caching proxy like Squid will not do. For those who need a tool for faster APT access, Japt-Proxy is the right choice.
Japt-Proxy boasts a number of valuable features. Multi-threaded architecture serves to increase downloading speeds dramatically when several machines request packages. The software automatically builds up a partial mirror directory with the same structure and filenames as the original mirror. It also supports multiple architectures and provides backend support for HTTP and FTP. Additionally, existing.deb files can be copied into the Japt-Proxy cache directory and will be used automatically.
Japt-Proxy requires the Java Runtime Environment 5.0 as well as Apache Tomcat 5.5. This software is continually updated, and the latest version is now available as a stand-alone application, meaning that no application container like Tomcat is required. All in all, this software is an excellent choice for anybody who needs a reliable and efficient tool for managing APT requests in a Debian environment.
Version 1.4: N/A