Canonical brings snap support to Fedora

Canonical officially gives Fedora support for snap, the packaging format for applications. The snaps can be used in combination with Fedora 24, 25 and 26. Fedora already has support for the comparable Flatpak.

Ubuntu developers explain how Fedora users can first install a snapd package and then install their first snap with the base libraries. They do warn that the sandbox of snaps is based on the AppArmor backend. “Since Fedora isn’t equipped with AppArmor, snaps don’t run delimited.” The snapd development team is calling on developers to update the SELinux backend for this.

Snap packages contain dependencies or dependencies in addition to the program itself. The advantages are that they are quickly distributed, offer security and are easy to update by the developer. An alternative is in the form of Flatpaks. They are intended to be an open format for all Linux variants, but the driving force behind them is Red Hat. Fedora has support for the Flatpak format as of version 24.

Canonical’s goal with snaps is to get the format to as many systems as possible, including internet-of-things devices. Flatpaks are more focused on distribution to desktops. Another difference is that Flatpaks don’t have a centralized app store like snaps.