ShellfireVPN-Android is an open-source Android application that provides a secure and private VPN connection. This VPN client can only be used to connect to the Shellfire VPN network. This repository contains the latest clean version with separate build flavors:
- googlePlay: Includes proprietary extensions (e.g., Google Play Services, Firebase, etc.) for the Play Store.
- fdroid: A fully free, open-source build with proprietary dependencies removed or stubbed for F-Droid compatibility.
Repository Location: GitHub Repository
- Secure VPN connection with encryption
- Open-source and privacy-focused
- Can only be used to connect to the Shellfire VPN network
- Two build flavors:
- googlePlay: For distribution on the Google Play Store.
- fdroid: For inclusion in the F-Droid repository (proprietary components removed).
- Uses modern Gradle build flavors and stubs to separate proprietary dependencies
You can install ShellfireVPN-Android in the following ways:
- Download the latest version from the Google Play Store: ShellfireVPN on Google Play
- The F-Droid variant is fully free of proprietary dependencies.
- It will be available on F-Droid soon. (Make sure to check the F-Droid repository once approved.)
You can manually build the app using Android Studio. There are two available flavors:
- Android Studio (latest version)
- Java JDK 11+
- Android SDK (with required components)
- Gradle (the build system is free and open source)
-
Clone the Repository:
git clone https://github.com/shell-fire/shellfire-vpn.android.git cd shellfire-vpn.android
-
Select the Build Flavor:
-
For F-Droid build (fully FLOSS):
- In Android Studio, open the Build Variants panel.
- Under Active Build Variant for the app module, select fdroidDebug (or fdroidRelease).
- Or build from the command line:
./gradlew assembleFdroidRelease
- The resulting APK will have the package name
de.shellfire.vpn.android.fdroid
.
-
For Google Play build (with proprietary components):
- In the Build Variants panel, select googlePlayDebug (or googlePlayRelease).
- Or build via:
./gradlew assembleGooglePlayRelease
- The resulting APK will have the package name
de.shellfire.vpn.android.gp
.
-
-
Signing and Local Properties:
- Create a file named
local.properties
in the project root with your signing credentials:storeFile=C:\path\to\your\keystore.jks storePassword=YOUR_STORE_PASSWORD keyAlias=YOUR_KEY_ALIAS keyPassword=YOUR_KEY_PASSWORD
- Create a file named
To ensure security, the signing keys are not included in this repository. You must configure your own signing credentials:
- Create
local.properties
file in the root directory:storeFile=C:\Users\YOUR_USER\keystore.jks storePassword=YOUR_PASSWORD keyAlias=YOUR_ALIAS keyPassword=YOUR_KEY_PASSWORD
- The app will automatically use these credentials when building locally.
We prioritize privacy. The F-Droid build (fdroid flavor):
- Removes proprietary dependencies: Google Play Services, Firebase Crashlytics, etc. are excluded or replaced with stubs.
- Uses only FLOSS libraries and build tools.
- Will be fully reproducible with FLOSS toolchains.
The Google Play build includes some proprietary extensions, but we maintain a separate FDroid branch that complies with F-Droid’s policies.
ShellfireVPN-Android builds on:
- OpenVPN-ics (GPL v2) by Arne Schwabe
- Google Play Services and other proprietary components (only in the googlePlay flavor)
- Stubs are provided for proprietary libraries in the FDroid build
Special thanks to Arne Schwabe for his contributions to the open-source VPN ecosystem.
We welcome contributions! To contribute:
- Fork the repository.
- Create a new branch (
git checkout -b feature-branch
). - Make changes and commit (
git commit -m "Add new feature"
). - Push to your fork (
git push origin feature-branch
). - Open a Pull Request.
This project is licensed under GPL v2 due to its dependence on OpenVPN-ics. See the LICENSE
file for details.
For questions or support:
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features.
- Email: support@shellfire.net
⭐ If you like this project, please give it a star on GitHub! ⭐