The Linux Crash Course - What are 'snap' Packages?

Linux packaging has no shortage of controversy, and snap packages are no exception to that. But why are snap packages so controversial? What do they give us that standard packages don't? In this video, Jay goes over the basics of snap packages.

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*⏰ TIME CODES*
00:00 - Intro, and what are snap packages?
01:32 - ChatGPT explains what snap packages are
02:29 - Spin up your own Linux server with Akamai (Sponsor)
03:41 - Understanding what "Universal Linux Packages" are
06:00 - Universal Packages exist today, so how's it going?
06:36 - Why "snaps" exist, and the goals it attempts to solve
08:36 - General information on getting started with snap packages
11:09 - Hands-on examples of snap in action
18:00 - Differentiating between snaps and typical packages
19:45 - Updating installed snap packages
21:31 - How to defer snap package updates
23:21 - Setting your own time window for snap updates
24:49 - Why are snap packages so controversial?

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[sussusamogus]

Thank you so much for this series Jay, I've watched and made notes on every single video of it, it really helped me

[bertnijhof]

You don't have to type the sudo command, it is taken care of the snap command, it will also prompt for the password.

You missed the very important "snap revert" function, to rollback a bugged snap in a second or so :) It will block that version of the snap for updates.

[esra_erimez]

This is the video I've been waiting for. Well done & thank you.

[mcury]

27 minutes passed so fast.. thanks jay, we appreciate the good work.

[DavidEsotica]

I'm running a couple snaps on my server. It works perfectly fine. It's how Canonical goes about it behind the scenes especially on the desktop that's so annoying.

[patrickvanreeth]

Automatic updates are one of the reasons why I switched from Windows to Linux ...

If for some reason I need to install snap, the updates would be held back for a few days at least (let the early adopters test them first)
BIG thanks for suggesting that option !

[andynl]

No to Canonical Snap bcs proprietary backend.
Yes to Flatpak bcs the free open source Linux way forward.

[charmquark]

Use case for not having quick updates: I run a Ubuntu VM, and snap updated pycharm by itself( which I did not know off).. it was a horrible experience it kept crashing when a specific piece of code ran. So much time wasted in trouble shooting the code.

[michaelwright]

I use Flatpaks, and the virtue (mostly it's a virtue) of getting a more recent version is attractive. My understanding was that a rational cause of objection to Snaps was that they were slower to start than a regular package--at least on the first running. Is that true? If it is, does it still hold?

Universal packages are obviously incompatible with the Unix philosophy of building everything up from small components; but since I just want a system better than Windows and Mac OS, I don't care if Microsoft Word would come in a universal package. But I can see it would be important for some people.

The question of Canonical taking things in a proprietary direction at first looks a bit over excited: but when we see what Red Hat is doing, maybe it's a reasonable fear that predatory late-stage capitalism will get its teeth into Linux.

[ifell]

I actually liked the snap store when I tried it on a distro. The reason I liked it is because i felt it removed everything if I disliked the software.
So say I recently installed 5 different media players using synaptic plus all its dependancies. When I've chosen one and delete tge other four, will synaptic delete those other dependacies? I feel it might not but does it know nothing else is currently using them?
Where snaps feel like it may install the same package multiple times, they are all in their little box.
I might be completely wrong and if I am please tell me.

[GourmetSaint]

I run one vm with Ubuntu purely for the Nextcloud snap. So much easier to install manage than the “raw” alternative. If Nextcloud was available as a Flatpak, I might try that though. I don’t like being reliant on a single corporation for anything.

[CraftGodsOfficial]

Thank you jay you have been amazing in sharing your wealth of knowledge.. get some rest this weekend...do a hot towel steam & rest those eyes bro ...dont forget about you..#recharge🙌🏽♌💗

[mohammedalhabib]

Jay, as you may know many organizations run Ubuntu in their industrial IoT devices. Snaps play a huge role in Ubuntu core and IoT devices. Hence, due to Canonical's commitment to provide full support, including packages, and security patches to their customers, snap packages are here to stay. That's one of the main reasons Canonical must continue to use snaps.

[hmm_think]

Can I have snap repository server like satellite local repository on which I can have control?

[Necropheliac]

You say “unless you compile it from source or something…” like there’s something wrong with that. In my opinion compiling from source is usually a good option over package management. It’s an especially great option when you want to install a separate version of a program and not get tangled with the system installed version. You can configure it with a —prefix= option usually, and have a bespoke version of the program installed within your user directory. Why not compile from source?

[haydenc]

Kinda like what "docker" is to specific server applications, snap is an executable "docker" for specific applications?

[Romek_S]

Is this a Cool Retro Term you are using here or something else?

[rotflol]

snap is YAI - Yet Another Installer, with the added dependencies such as core (udsually multiple installed for "independent" packages)

[joseph]

Is the "hold=forever" new? I was sure that snap used to force updates after a set time?

[burgermeister]

Jay you started off by saying that there were basically three types of packages: snaps, flatpaks and app images. But you only covered two of them (snaps and app images). I was hoping to get a broad view of the three and their similarities and differences.