v1.0.0

APO FJ Downloads

Premium Download Manager for Joomla 4 / 5 / 6

Apotentia Flexible Joomla Downloads · Documentation

Joomla Joomla PHP PHP 8.1+

Note: Issues detected with version 1.0.0 — reworking now and will release version 1.1.0 soon. Downloads and purchases are paused until then.

Overview

APO FJ Downloads—short for Apotentia Flexible Joomla Downloads—is a premium download management extension for Joomla built from the ground up for PHP 8.1+ and Joomla 4, 5, and 6. The "FJ" stands for "Flexible Joomla": flexible layouts, flexible access control, flexible storage—adapted to how your site actually works, not the other way around.

Note: APO FJ Downloads is an original Apotentia LLC product. It is not affiliated with, derived from, or related to JDownloads or any other existing Joomla extension.

APO FJ Downloads provides everything a site administrator needs to manage, organize, and securely serve file downloads—from a handful of PDFs to thousands of files across dozens of categories.

Unlike legacy download managers that bolt security on as an afterthought, APO FJ Downloads is security-first: MIME-type verification on every upload, one-time token-based file serving, rate limiting, download quotas, and files served exclusively through PHP controllers—never direct filesystem URLs.

The extension ships as a single installable Joomla package containing 11 sub-extensions.

Key Features

MIME-Type Enforcement

Server-side file inspection via libmagic on every upload. Never trusts client-provided Content-Type. Per-category allowlists.

Granular Access Control

Permissions at global, component, category, and download levels. Per-group download quotas (daily/weekly/monthly). Time-window access restrictions.

Secure File Serving

One-time tokens with configurable TTL. Files stored outside web root. X-Sendfile/X-Accel-Redirect support. HTTP 206 range requests for download resume.

Twig Layout Engine

Customizable Twig templates for every view type. Layout cascade: shortcode → download → category → global → system fallback. Full template override support.

Content Shortcodes

Embed downloads anywhere with {apofjdl id=42} or {apofjdl category=5 layout=grid limit=10}. Works in any Joomla article or custom HTML module.

Rate Limiting & Quotas

Per-user and per-IP velocity limiting. Configurable download quotas per user group with daily, weekly, monthly, and lifetime periods.

Media Preview

HTML5 audio and video players for supported file types. Inline preview directly on download detail pages. Configurable per category.

REST API

Full CRUD API for downloads, categories, and file serving. JSON:API format. Joomla token authentication with per-action permissions.

Smart Search & Modules

Smart Search indexer for full-text search. Four companion modules: Latest Downloads, Most Popular, Category Tree, and Search.

Mass Downloads

Select multiple files and download as a streaming ZIP archive. Memory-safe for large file sets. ACL and quota checked per file.

Download Logging

Download logs with GDPR-compliant IP hashing. Filterable by user, download, status, and date range. Full admin viewer.

Ratings & Reviews

Star ratings and text reviews with moderation queue. One rating per user per download. Aggregate scores displayed on listings.

Architecture

APO FJ Downloads ships as a single Joomla package containing 11 tightly integrated sub-extensions.

Package Type Description
com_apofjdownloads Component Core download management—admin CRUD, frontend views, file serving
lib_apofjdownloads Library Shared library: MIME detection, storage adapters, layout engine, token manager, ACL
plg_content_* Plugin Content shortcode processing
plg_system_* Plugin System-level ACL enforcement, MIME hooks, event dispatching
plg_webservices_* Plugin REST API endpoint registration
plg_finder_* Plugin Smart Search indexer for downloads and categories
plg_actionlog_* Plugin Admin action logging integration
mod_*_latest Module Latest downloads widget
mod_*_popular Module Most popular downloads widget
mod_*_categories Module Category tree navigation widget
mod_*_search Module Download search form widget

Compatible with Joomla 4.4+, 5.x, and 6.x. Requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Tested across PHP 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4.

Pricing

Start free with Lite, or buy Pro for the full extension. Every Pro tier includes every feature—the only difference is how many domains you can activate. Pro is a one-time purchase: you get a perpetual license (never expires) plus 1 year of updates. After the year, the extension keeps working forever; renew the update entitlement in your account portal whenever you want another year of patches and new features.

Lite

Free
forever
Unlimited domains

Core download management with 5 MB file size limit. Basic ACL and download counts.

Paused — v1.1.0 soon

Single Site

$49
one-time · 1 year of updates
1 domain

Full Pro extension. Unlimited file size, all 11 sub-extensions, priority support.

Paused — v1.1.0 soon

Agency

$99
one-time · 1 year of updates
5 domains

Same full Pro extension across five client or company sites.

Paused — v1.1.0 soon

Unlimited

$199
one-time · 1 year of updates
Unlimited domains

Deploy on every site you manage. No domain counting.

Paused — v1.1.0 soon
Pro licensing policy: One-time payment for a perpetual license — your copy of the extension never expires. Updates are entitled for 1 year from purchase; after that, the extension continues to work with full functionality. To keep getting updates beyond the first year, renew the update subscription anytime from your account portal. No auto-charge, no recurring fees on your card. We don't hold your website hostage.

Development Roadmap

APO FJ Downloads v1.0.0 ships with Phases 1–3 complete (248 tests, 184 passing) plus the four companion modules and license validation system originally scoped later. Public documentation and the v1.0.0 release packaging are also live. Remaining Phase 4–5 items are planned for future releases.

Phase 1: Foundation COMPLETE
Project scaffold, CI/CD pipeline, database schema (9 tables), and full admin CRUD for downloads, categories, files, and licenses. 64 tests.
Phase 2: Core Engine COMPLETE
MIME-type enforcement engine (110+ types), deep ACL integration, token-based secure file serving, GDPR-compliant download logging, rate limiting, and quota enforcement. 96 tests.
Phase 3: Layout & Frontend COMPLETE
Twig 3.0 layout engine with 5-level cascade resolution, 6 default templates, all frontend views, content plugin with shortcodes, SEF router, and template override support. 69 tests.
Phase 4: Advanced Features Media, Storage, Search

Shipped early in v1.0.0: ✓ four companion modules (Latest Downloads, Most Popular, Categories Tree, Featured Downloads).

Remaining: media preview (audio/video), mass ZIP downloads, remote storage adapters (S3), ratings and reviews, custom fields integration, Smart Search plugin.

Phase 5: API, Polish & Release REST API, Accessibility

Shipped: ✓ license key validation system (HMAC-signed, activation tracking, domain limits) · ✓ public documentation · ✓ v1.0.0 release packaging (Lite + Pro builds).

Remaining: full content REST API (downloads + categories with JSON:API format), WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility compliance, performance optimization (<200ms TTFB target).

Secure downloads. 248 tests. GPL v2+.

The download manager Joomla deserves.

Downloads paused — v1.1.0 coming soon

248 tests · GPL v2+ · Joomla 4, 5, 6 · PHP 8.1+

Questions? Get in touch