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Snaps applications (snaps) are apps that are bundled using the snap software package distribution system; that was developed by canonical (the company behind the development of ubuntu Linux distribution). And it has become a major way some popular desktops apps are installed on ubuntu. And many other Linux distribution also now supports snap packages.

The snap DEAMON (snapd):

Before snaps can be used on any Linux system, snapd (the snap deamon), has to be installed first. Snapd can be installed in many popular Linux distributions (distros) as follows;

Ubuntu:

Snapd is installed by default in ubuntu 16.04, so you’re ready to start installing apps immediately.

For the older 14.04 LTS (trusty) release or any flavour (e.g. Lubuntu) which doesn’t include snapd by default, you have to install it manually from the archive:

 sudo apt update sudo apt install snapd

Fedora:

You can install the snapd package with:

sudo dnf install snapd

Snaps using classic confinement, such as code editors, also require a symlink from /var/lib/snapd/snap to /snap:

sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

Arch Linux:

Run the following command to install the package using yaourt AUR helper:

 yaourt -S snapd

Once installed, enable the systemd unit which is responsible to manage the main communication socket for snapd manually:

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket

Restart the computer for post-install changes to take effect.

Check here to get how to install it in other Linux distributions.

Find and Install Snaps

Once snapd is installed in your system you can search for snaps like this:

snap find <app_name or description>

The command searches for all snaps that are related to “email”. And If the command is used without any description or snap name; some popular snaps are returned:

The Snap Store contains both public and private snaps.

You can install snaps using the command-line like this:

snap install <package_name>

Or if you prefer using the graphical interface, head over to the snaps store or the snap app repository maintained by Brian Douglass to install snaps with a click of a button or download the snap package to install yourself.

View Installed Snaps

To view all the snaps installed on your system use snap list command. The command also provides information on the software version, revision number, developer, and any extra notes provided with the snap.

Removing Snaps

To remove any snap application from your system, use the command:

snap remove <snap_name>

By default all the snap revisions are removed, including their data and the common data directory.

For full snap commands check here.

Happy Linux’NG!

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ALEXANDER OMOROKUNWA

Chief Editor/Founder at FossNaija

A Linux enthusiast with a focus on enriching the Nigeria Linux experience and keeping a keen eye on Ubuntu and other Foss related developments.

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