What is SNAP Ubuntu and How to use it
Snap Ubuntu is a software package manager that bundles applications into a single unit. Its a great way for new and novice users to get started with complicated applications in Ubuntu. Snap makes it easy to install, update, and remove the application; it ensures that all the relevant prerequisites are already met before installing the application.
Snap runs the application in a virtual sandbox environment, abstracted away from the Ubuntu operating system. This means that the application is run in isolation. This is good because it protects the rest of your system and improves security. When you come to uninstall the application, it won’t break any of your locally installed applications.
Useful Snap Ubuntu Commands
The first thing to know is that you can browse the snapcraft website to learn which applications are available as snaps. There are so many awesome applications.
Finding Snaps to Install
Snap Find
You can search the snap ubuntu store using the find command. It allows you to search for a specific keyword or your can search sections such as “games” or “productivity)
snap find <keyword>
snap find --section=<section>
For Example:
snap find microk8s
Name Version Publisher Notes Summary
microk8s v1.29.2 canonical✓ classic Kubernetes for workstations
microk8s-integrator-windows 0.1 canonical✓ - MicroK8s Windows integrator
microk8s-integrator-macos 0.1 canonical✓ - MicroK8s MacOS integrator
eks v1.18.9 canonical✓ classic Amazon EKS Distro (EKS-D) snap
data-science-stack 0.1-788eae3a43623f36fb4087f94e57 michalhucko - ML environments at ease on your AI
pluto 0.1.0 nuccitheboss - A swiss-army knife for managing
content-microk8s-core-addons-offline latest aggkolaitis - MicroK8s Core addons offline
fortd v0.9.10-mk8s-ad50fb2 ffoysal - A snap to keep your data at your
content-demo-microk8s latest kjackal -
You can search for the following snap ubuntu sections:
- art-and-design
- books-and-reference
- development
- devices-and-iot
- education
- entertainment
- featured
- finance
- games
- health-and-fitness
- music-and-audio
- news-and-weather
- personalisation
- photo-and-video
- productivity
- science
- security
- server-and-cloud
- social
- utilities
For Example:
snap find --section=science
Name Version Publisher Notes Summary
stellarium-daily v24.1 t4saha - Desktop Planetarium
stellarium-plars 0.21.0 pwlars - Planetarium software
kstars 3.6.6 kde✓ - KStars is a desktop
sirrujak-sciencefair 1.0.8 rujak - ScienceFair
ctint-science 1.0.0 zgcddoo - ctint-science
dataexplore v0.12.0 dmnfarrell - data plotting and
rigs-of-rods 2022.12 paroj - Rigs of Rods
molden 6.2 linuxcoffee - Molden is a package
iraspa 2.3.0 dubbelda - A molecular
functy 0.38 flypig - 3D graph drawing with
yacas 1.6.1-snap1 gm - Yet Another Computer
kmplot 23.08.3 kde✓ - Mathematical Function
truthtables 1.00 simplelogic - truthtables snap
Managing Snaps
Snap List
Managing Snaps is really useful, especially if you need to tidy up your system after trying out an application.
snap list
Snap list gives you a list of all the installed snap ubuntu applications on your system. For Example:
snap list
Name Version Rev Tracking Publisher Notes
audacious 4.3.1 157 latest/stable sameersharma2006 -
bare 1.0 5 latest/stable canonical✓ base
core18 20240416 2823 latest/stable canonical✓ base
core20 20240227 2264 latest/stable canonical✓ base
core22 20240408 1380 latest/stable canonical✓ base
firefox 125.0-1 4136 latest/stable/… mozilla✓ -
gedit 46.1 684 latest/stable canonical✓ -
glances 3.4.0.3 1708 latest/stable nicolargo -
gnome-3-28-1804 3.28.0-19-g98f9e67.98f9e67 198 latest/stable canonical✓ -
gnome-3-38-2004 0+git.efb213a 143 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
gnome-42-2204 0+git.510a601 172 latest/stable canonical✓ -
gtk-common-themes 0.1-81-g442e511 1535 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
juju-db 4.4.18 160 4.4/stable juju-qa -
microk8s v1.26.14 6576 1.26-strict/stable canonical✓
office365webdesktop 0.7.2 5 latest/beta rafgui012 -
openjdk 22.0.1+8 1764 latest/stable jgneff -
remmina v1.4.35+git1.e0692befd 6419 latest/stable remmina✓ -
shotcut 24.04.28 1447 latest/stable meltytech✓ classic
snap-store 41.3-77-g7dc86c8 1113 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
snapd 2.62 21465 latest/stable canonical✓ snapd
snapd-desktop-integration 0.9 157 latest/stable/… canonical✓ -
spotify 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c 75 latest/stable spotify✓ -
vlc 3.0.20-1-g2617de71b6 3777 latest/stable videolan✓ -
Snap info
The snap info command is really useful. It displays information about a specific snap, including its version and publisher.
snap info
For example
snap info spotify
name: spotify
summary: Music for everyone
publisher: Spotify✓
store-url: https://snapcraft.io/spotify
contact: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Linux/bd-p/desktop_linux
license: unset
description: |
Love music? Play your favorite songs and albums free on Linux with
Spotify.
Stream the tracks you love instantly, browse the charts or fire up
readymade playlists in every genre and mood. Radio plays you great
song after great song, based on your music taste. Discover new music
too, with awesome playlists built just for you.
Stream Spotify free, with occasional ads, or go Premium.
Free:
• Play any song, artist, album or playlist instantly
• Browse hundreds of readymade playlists in every genre and mood
• Stay on top of the Charts
• Stream Radio
• Enjoy podcasts, audiobooks and videos
• Discover more music with personalized playlists
Premium:
• Download tunes and play offline
• Listen ad-free
• Get even better sound quality
• Try it free for 30 days, no strings attached
Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/spotify
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/spotify
Note: Spotify for Linux is a labor of love from our engineers that
wanted to listen to Spotify on their Linux development machines. They
work on it in their spare time and it is currently not a platform
that we actively support. The experience may differ from our other
Spotify Desktop clients, such as Windows and Mac.
commands:
- spotify
snap-id: pOBIoZ2LrCB3rDohMxoYGnbN14EHOgD7
tracking: latest/stable
refresh-date: 2024-02-26
channels:
latest/stable: 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c 2024-02-23 (75) 186MB -
latest/candidate: 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c 2024-02-21 (75) 186MB -
latest/beta: 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c 2024-02-21 (75) 186MB -
latest/edge: 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c 2024-02-21 (75) 186MB -
installed: 1.2.31.1205.g4d59ad7c (75) 186MB -
Snap Install
This installs a snap from the Snap store.
snap install <keyword>
Snap Remove
This removes a snap from your system.
snap remove
For Example
snap remove --purge microk8s
2024-04-30T10:36:31+01:00 INFO Waiting for "snap.microk8s.daemon-containerd.service" to stop.
Remove data for snap "microk8s" (6576) |
microk8s removed
Snap Refresh
This updates all installed snaps to their latest versions.
snap refresh
For example:
snap refresh
firefox 125.0.3-1 from Mozilla✓ refreshed
gnome-42-2204 0+git.510a601 from Canonical✓ refreshed
Thats it for now. You now have the basic commands needed to get to grips with Snap.
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