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Snap Packages

Snap is a software deployment and package management system created by Canonical (the makers of Ubuntu). The packages, called "snaps," and the tool for using them, snapd, work across a range of Linux distributions.

Key Features​

  • Universal: A snap package can run on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian, etc., without modification.
  • Bundled Dependencies: A snap contains the application and all its necessary libraries. This prevents "dependency hell" but results in larger file sizes.
  • Sandboxing: Snaps are strictly confined by default using AppArmor. They cannot access system files or user data without explicit permission.
  • Automatic Updates: Snaps update automatically in the background.

Essential Commands​

# Search the snap store
snap find "vlc"

# Install a snap
sudo snap install vlc

# List installed snaps
snap list

# Remove a snap
sudo snap remove vlc

Controversy​

While convenient, Snap has faced criticism in the Linux community:

  • The backend server (the Snap Store) is proprietary and controlled solely by Canonical.
  • Snaps can be slow to launch on first run.
  • They create many loopback mounts (/dev/loopX) which clutters the output of system commands like lsblk and df.