Getting Started
Project Overview
Understand what Ghost Downloader is, how it is organized, and where to start.
Ghost Downloader is a cross-platform desktop downloader. For contributors, four facts matter first: the desktop app is built with PySide6, task scheduling runs on an AsyncIO background loop, download capabilities are extended through Feature Packs, and the browser extension forwards web resources to the desktop app through a local WebSocket bridge.
Suggested Reading Order
For a first contribution, start with Ghost-Downloader-3.py, app/services/core_service.py, app/services/feature_service.py, and the target features/*_pack.
Module Boundaries
| Module | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| App entry | Ghost-Downloader-3.py handles logging, config loading, translation, service startup, and main window creation. |
| Core service | CoreService owns the task queue and AsyncIO event loop. Keep protocol-specific logic out of it. |
| Feature Pack | Each protocol pack handles URL matching, parsing, and task implementation. The plugin API is still unstable. |
| Browser extension | The extension captures resources, and the desktop BrowserService validates the token and creates tasks. |
| UI | app/view is for interaction and presentation. Protocol parsing should not live there. |