koolshare/koolshare.github.io

★ 4,676Classic ASPAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Koolshare))
    What it does
      Router plugins
      Software center
      Merlin firmware
    Plugins
      DDNS
      Aria2 downloads
      Thunder downloads
      Policy routing
    Values
      No advertising
      Free for all users
      No data collection
    Platform
      Asus routers
      Merlin firmware
      LuCI web interface
    Community
      Chinese language
      Open source code
      Forum support

mindmap root((Koolshare)) What it does Router plugins Software center Merlin firmware Plugins DDNS Aria2 downloads Thunder downloads Policy routing Values No advertising Free for all users No data collection Platform Asus routers Merlin firmware LuCI web interface Community Chinese language Open source code Forum support

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Keep a home internet connection accessible by a fixed domain name using the DDNS plugin even when your ISP changes your IP address.

USE CASE 2

Route specific types of traffic through different network paths using the policy-based routing plugin.

USE CASE 3

Manage downloads from the router itself using Aria2 or Thunder without keeping a PC on.

USE CASE 4

Browse and install community router plugins through the built-in software center web interface.

Tech stack

Classic ASPJavaScriptShell

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires an Asus router running Koolshare Merlin firmware, setup instructions are on the Koolshare forum, not in this repository.

The project states it is open source, but the specific license type is not mentioned in the explanation.

In plain English

This repository contains open-source plugins for a modified version of Merlin router firmware maintained by the Koolshare community. Merlin is a custom firmware built on top of Asus router software that gives users more control over their home or small-office networks. Koolshare extends that firmware further with an unofficial plugin system, and this repository hosts the plugin code and a software center where users can install and manage those plugins through a web interface. The README is written in Chinese. According to it, the currently available plugins cover tasks like DDNS (a service that keeps a domain name pointing to your home internet connection even when your IP address changes), download management through two different tools (Thunder and Aria2), and policy-based routing, which lets you send different types of traffic through different network paths. The project states three foundational commitments. The firmware contains no advertising. It is provided free to all users regardless of any forum membership level. And it does not collect user data in the background. The plugin code and the software center itself are open source, so anyone can inspect what the code does. The README also includes a fairly lengthy section where the maintainers respond to criticism they have received from anonymous forum users. They explain their motivations: personal interest, building something they needed themselves, and growing a contributor community. They ask users who have technical questions to raise them in the source code rather than spreading concern in public forums. The project's website has moved to asusgo.com. The README does not include detailed setup instructions, those appear to live on the Koolshare forum and the software center interface rather than in this repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I have a Koolshare Merlin router. How do I access the software center and install the DDNS plugin to keep my domain pointing to my home IP?

Prompt 2

Explain how policy-based routing works on a Koolshare Merlin router and give me an example rule that sends all traffic from one device through a VPN.

Prompt 3

I want to set up Aria2 on my Koolshare router to download files directly to a USB drive. Walk me through the plugin installation and basic configuration.

Prompt 4

What is the difference between Koolshare Merlin firmware and standard Merlin firmware, and what extra capabilities does the Koolshare plugin system add?

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← koolshare on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.