ubuntu snap packages | snap find --section=server #find server-based software
Chances are you’ve heard about Snap packages. These universal packages were brought into the spotlight with the release of Ubuntu 16.04 and have continued to draw attention as a viable solution for installing applications on Linux. What makes Snap packages so attractive to the end user? The answer is really quite easy: Simplicity. In this article, I’ll answer some common questions that arise when learning about Snaps and show how to start using them.
Exactly what are Snap packages? And why are they needed? Considering there are already multiple ways to install software on Linux, doesn’t this complicate the issue? Not in the slightest. Snaps actually makes installing/updating/removing applications on Linux incredibly easy.
How does it accomplish this? Essentially, a Snap package is a self-contained application that bundles most of the libraries and runtimes (necessary to successfully run an application) into a single, universal package. Because of this, Snaps can be installed, updated, and reverted without affecting the rest of the host system, and without having to first install dependencies. Snap packages are also confined from the OS (via various security mechanisms), yet can still function as if it were installed by the standard means (exchanging data with the host OS and other installed applications).
Are Snaps challenging to work with? In a word, no. In fact, Snaps make short work of installing apps that might otherwise challenge your Linux admin skills. Since Snap packages are self-contained, you only need to install one package to get an app up and running.
Installation
The first thing you must do is install the Snap system, aka snapd. To do this on Fedora, open up the terminal window and issue the command:
sudo dnf install snapd
The above command will catch any necessary dependencies and install the system for Snap. That’s all there is to is. You’re ready to install your first Snap package.
Installing with Snap: Command-line edition
The first thing you’ll want to do is find out what packages are available to install via Snap. Although Snap has begun to gain significant momentum, not every application can be installed via Snap. Let’s say you want to install GIMP. First you might want to find out what GIMP-relate packages are available as Snaps. Back at the terminal window, issue the command:
sudo snap find gimp
Exactly what are Snap packages? And why are they needed? Considering there are already multiple ways to install software on Linux, doesn’t this complicate the issue? Not in the slightest. Snaps actually makes installing/updating/removing applications on Linux incredibly easy.
How does it accomplish this? Essentially, a Snap package is a self-contained application that bundles most of the libraries and runtimes (necessary to successfully run an application) into a single, universal package. Because of this, Snaps can be installed, updated, and reverted without affecting the rest of the host system, and without having to first install dependencies. Snap packages are also confined from the OS (via various security mechanisms), yet can still function as if it were installed by the standard means (exchanging data with the host OS and other installed applications).
Are Snaps challenging to work with? In a word, no. In fact, Snaps make short work of installing apps that might otherwise challenge your Linux admin skills. Since Snap packages are self-contained, you only need to install one package to get an app up and running.
Installation
The first thing you must do is install the Snap system, aka snapd. To do this on Fedora, open up the terminal window and issue the command:
sudo dnf install snapd
The above command will catch any necessary dependencies and install the system for Snap. That’s all there is to is. You’re ready to install your first Snap package.
Installing with Snap: Command-line edition
The first thing you’ll want to do is find out what packages are available to install via Snap. Although Snap has begun to gain significant momentum, not every application can be installed via Snap. Let’s say you want to install GIMP. First you might want to find out what GIMP-relate packages are available as Snaps. Back at the terminal window, issue the command:
sudo snap find gimp
Removing Snap packages
Removing a Snap package is just as simple as installing. We’ll stick with our GIMP example. To remove GIMP, issue the command:
sudo snap remove gimp
One thing you’ll notice is that removing a Snap package takes significantly less time than uninstalling via the standard method (i.e., sudo apt remove gimp or sudo dnf remove gimp). In fact, on my test Fedora system, installing, updating, and removing GIMP was quite a bit faster than doing so with dnf.
Installing with Snap: GUI edition
You can enable Snap support in GNOME Software with a quick dnf install command. That command is:
sudo dnf install gnome-software-snap
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