Software Auto Update

We are developing a Windows based application in C#. I want to provide auto updates for the software. In fact, once the user run the program it should be able to notify the user th

Solution 1:

Try NetSparkle. Its an easy-to-use software update framework for .NET developers.

Solution 2:

It's very hard to give any meaningful answer without knowing why you don't like clickonce. Personally, I find that while clickonce isn't great for all deployments, it is very good for many - and in many cases it isn't adopted because developers don't know how to configure for it or get the most from it.

If you really can't use clickonce, take a look at Google's project omaha, which is a neat auto-updater that is already installed on any windows machine running Chrome.

And finally, if you are going to roll your own, I would probably not suggest storing it in SQL Server without first checking to see how this would affect your backup and replication strategies, at the least. I don't really see what advantage you would get over a HTTP, UNC, FTP, or similar storage area.

Solution 3:

Don't store a large executable in the database.

I'm sure you could find a pre-build solution, but if you are determined to write it on your own, you might consider simply storing a URL pointing to the latest version, on a server you deploy. The update software on the client would simply authenticate with that server, download the new version and then install it.