- What Is Flatpak?<\/a><\/li>
- How Ftlatpak Works?<\/a><\/li>
- Installing Flatpak on Linux<\/a>
- Install Flatpak on Ubuntu, Debian, and Pop!_OS<\/a><\/li>
- Install Flatpak on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS, and RHEL<\/a><\/li>
- Install Flatpak on Arch Linux and Manjaro<\/a><\/li>
- Install Flatpak on openSUSE<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How to Install Flatpak App<\/a>
- Search for Flatpak Apps<\/a><\/li>
- Install a Flatpak App<\/a><\/li>
- Install a Specific Flatpak App Version<\/a><\/li>
- Run a Flatpak App<\/a><\/li>
- List Installed Flatpak Apps<\/a><\/li>
- Update Installed Flatpak Apps<\/a><\/li>
- Uninstall a Flatpak App<\/a><\/li>
- Removing Unused Flatpak Runtimes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Flatpak: Pros & Cons<\/a>
- Pros<\/a><\/li>
- Cons<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
What Is Flatpak?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Flatpak is a package management and software distribution system for Linux-based operating systems. It allows users to install applications in an isolated sandbox environment decoupled from the underlying operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is designed to provide a consistent and secure way to package, distribute, and run applications across different Linux distributions, regardless of their underlying libraries and dependencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, it is a universal package management system to build, install, and run applications on different Linux distributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Ftlatpak Works?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Each Flatpak application depends on runtime to work appropriately on a host system and comes bundled with all dependent libraries inside the app. A runtime is a set of basic dependencies (libraries) an application requires. The most commonly used ones are Freedesktop, GNOME, and KDE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the significant advantages of the Flatpak is that libraries are reused as needed, so they are not installed for every package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, the Dolphin file manager would be equivalent in size if you installed it on an entirely new system, whether you use the Flatpak or the system\u2019s native package manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you install it as a Flatpak application since the required Qt libraries will be available on the system, the next Qt application you install that uses Qt will take up significantly less space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, you need to keep something else in mind. If you have to use Flatpaks extensively, you can expect to have a lot of duplicated runtimes because many applications use different versions of those runtimes. In other words, the dependencies are still reused, but only when possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Installing Flatpak on Linux<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Flatpak installation is a two-step procedure. First, to use Flatpak packages, your Linux distro must have Flatpak support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most recent versions of some Linux distros, such as Fedora, Linux Mint, elementaryOS, Zorin OS, etc., come with Flatpak support out-of-the-box. In other words, there is no need to install such support on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The easiest way to check if you have Flatpak installed is by running, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak list<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Check](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/check-if-flatpak-installed2.jpg\")
<\/a>Check if Flatpak is installed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n If you receive command output similar to the one shown above, all is well, and your system has the necessary Flatpak support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if you get a message like the one below, “Command ‘flatpak’ not found\u2026<\/em>” you can easily install it depending on the Linux distribution you are using with any of the below-provided commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Check](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/check-if-flatpak-installed.jpg\")
<\/a>Check if Flatpak is installed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Install Flatpak on Ubuntu, Debian, and Pop!_OS<\/h3>\n\n\n
sudo apt install flatpak<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nInstall Flatpak on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS, and RHEL<\/h3>\n\n\n
sudo dnf install flatpak<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nInstall Flatpak on Arch Linux and Manjaro<\/h3>\n\n\n
sudo pacman -S flatpak<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\nInstall Flatpak on openSUSE<\/h3>\n\n\n
sudo zypper install flatpak<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nFor all other Linux distributions, you can check here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Install Flatpak App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once you finish installing the
flatpak<\/code> package, you are ready to install Flatpak applications. But before you do that, let’s get aware of the central Flatpak repository – Flathub (https:\/\/flathub.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Flathub](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flathub-website-1024x700.jpg\")
<\/a>Flathub website.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n To enable the Flathub repository to allow you to install applications from there, type the command below:<\/p>\n\n\n
sudo flatpak remote-add --if<\/span>-not-exists flathub https:\/\/flathub.org\/repo\/flathub.flatpakrepo<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nSearch for Flatpak Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Once the repository is added, you can check if a particular application is available. So you can treat Flatpak as a regular package manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can search for a Flatpak app by using the
flatpak search<\/code> command. For example, let\u2019s search for Spotify:<\/p>\n\n\nflatpak search spotify<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Installing](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-installing-package-1024x268.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe output gives you details about the Flatpak application, such as the Application ID, version, branch, and application summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Install a Flatpak App<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The basic syntax to install applications using Flatpak is
flatpak install applicationID<\/code>. So, the command to install Spotify will be:<\/p>\n\n\nflatpak<\/span> install<\/span> com<\/span>.spotify<\/span>.Client<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Flatpak](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-installation-succeeded-1024x607.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nInstall a Specific Flatpak App Version<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Although it is not common practice, you may need to get a specific version of an app rather than the latest version installed by default when installing a Flatpak package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll use the Spotify (com.spotify.Client<\/em>) Flatpak package as an example to demonstrate. The command below displays all available versions for installation; the identifier you will use for installation is the line “Commit<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak<\/span> remote-info<\/span> --log<\/span> flathub<\/span> com<\/span>.spotify<\/span>.Client<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Install](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-package-versions-1024x690.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nSo, if we want to install, say, the penultimate version available, the command to use is:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak update --commit=60f1d52b28a0119214e9f68401de94593ffd26dbf3c77f7402582e3f274e2fa8 com.spotify.Client<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIt’s worth noting that because we’re using the
update<\/code> option, you must already have installed the Flatpak package before you can downgrade to an older version.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRun a Flatpak App<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Running a Flatpak is quite simple. For example, in our case, here is what the command will look like:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak<\/span> run<\/span> com<\/span>.spotify<\/span>.Client<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOf course, you can run the app like any other from the App Launcher you use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Running](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-run-app-launcher-1024x367.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nList Installed Flatpak Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can list all the currently installed Flatpak apps by running the command shown below:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak list<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"List](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-list-installed-apps-1024x253.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nUpdate Installed Flatpak Apps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To update Flatpak packages within your system, run the following:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak update<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Updating](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-update-apps-1024x361.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nKeep in mind that if all packages are already up to date, there will be no new changes after running the above command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Updating](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-no-updates.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nUninstall a Flatpak App<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Finally, removing it is quite a simple operation if you no longer need the Flatpak application. The syntax of the command is
flatpak uninstall applicationID<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor example, to remove Spotify, execute the command:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak<\/span> uninstall<\/span> com<\/span>.spotify<\/span>.Client<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Uninstalling](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-uninstall-app-1024x249.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe should also mention one feature. When you uninstall a Flatpak application, the user data for that app is retained on your system. They are usually saved in “~\/.var\/app<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To remove this data during uninstallation, use the
--delete-data<\/code> option. As a result, the above command would look like this:<\/p>\n\n\nflatpak<\/span> uninstall<\/span> --delete-data<\/span> com<\/span>.spotify<\/span>.Client<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\nRemoving Unused Flatpak Runtimes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It is a good practice to clean your system and free up space occasionally. You can remove the unused Flatpak runtimes by using the command shown below:<\/p>\n\n\n
flatpak uninstall --unused<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n![\"Removing](\"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/flatpak-removing-unused-flatpaks.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFlatpak: Pros & Cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Without a doubt, Flatpak has revolutionized package management in Linux. But like any other technology, this one has good and not-so-good sides. So, let\u2019s summarize them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Distro-agnostic<\/strong>: You can install Flatpak packages on any distro you want. In other words, you can create one app and distribute it to the entire Linux desktop market.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Application sandboxing<\/strong>: All applications are limited to predefined permissions, enhancing privacy and security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Up-to-date package versions<\/strong>: The Flatpak packages on flathub.org can be more up-to-date than the various Linux distributions offered in their repositories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- OS safety<\/strong>: Because none of your system libraries are upgraded, you do not risk instability or problems with your other programs or operating system<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Easy to use<\/strong>: Offers easy integration with an existing software center on your Linux distribution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Application sandboxing<\/strong>: All applications are limited to predefined permissions, enhancing privacy and security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cons<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Install a Flatpak App<\/a><\/li>
- Install Flatpak on AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS, and RHEL<\/a><\/li>
- How Ftlatpak Works?<\/a><\/li>