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Packaging Apps To Run on Any Linux Device

It's a Snap!

Article from ADMIN 41/2017

By Chris Binnie

Canonical's Snapcraft (Snappy) package manager creates a self-contained application that works across Linux distributions. We show you how to install, publish, and run a simple snap.

Special Thanks: This article was made possible by support from Linux Professional Institute

Those with a smattering of gray hair might be forgiven for mentioning that containers have been around for a relatively long time and that their evolution is not quite as magical as it may seem at first. Docker [1], however, is an undeniably fantastic advancement in the way infrastructure is created and operated. From a DevOps perspective, software deployments are no doubt possible considerably more often than before. It's unlikely in the long-term however that Docker will be the only popular container runtime daemon as rkt [2] and the Open Container Initiative [3] take off.

Since 2014, a major player in the Linux market has been touting a different type of container that is a real eye-opener. I'll take a look at Canonical's Snapcraft [4] package manager (also called the Snappy package manager), which is a concerted effort to mature and nurture a different way of placing applications in containers.

What, Where, Why

Ubuntu bravely states that snaps can "package any app for every Linux desktop, server, cloud or device, and deliver updates directly." As the product has matured, it's been used in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and gained some momentum. The premise is that mobile devices, refrigerators, and parking meters should all be able to use portable containers packaged in a way that makes them device agnostic. In other words, you get to run lightweight applications without the fear that missing dependencies

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