3 methods of app Installation in ubuntu

We have understood the simple installation of apps from the web from the last post. In this post, we are going to take a deep dive into App installation in Ubuntu. we are going to learn the most common methods of app installation. this is not a GUI method of installation. we use terminal here

Using APT

Linux manages software through packages, individual units of software that contain user interfaces, modules, and libraries. Most applications link several co-dependent packages together, and still others allow you to choose which packages to install and which to leave out at your own discretion. this is not a GUI method of installation, this is through the terminal.

it’s the Advanced Packaging Tool. It has a family of commands that allows you to add repositories; search for, install, and remove packages; and even simulate upgrades and such.  we need superuser privileges to perform this action.

To update software repositories, use the following command

sudo apt update

To upgrade your software:

sudo apt upgrade

For a more thorough upgrade, which will also attempt to upgrade conflicting package dependencies to the newest version and removing older or unused dependencies, the command is as follows

sudo apt full-upgrade

To install a software/package :

sudo apt install packageName

To remove a software/package:

sudo apt remove packageName

Using SNAP

A snap is a bundle of an app and its dependencies that works without modification across many different Linux distributions. Snaps are discoverable and installable from the Snap Store, an app store with an audience of millions. snap makes app Installation in ubuntu more easier.

Find a snap

With snapd installed, snaps can be discovered, searched for, and installed from the Snap Store, from the Snap Store desktop app, and directly from the command line. For example, the following command returns a list of media players: open terminal,

$ snap find "media player"
Name  Version  Developer  Notes  Summary
(...)
vlc        3.0.4     videolan✓    -      The ultimate media player.
mpv        0.26.0    casept       -      a free, open source, and cross-platform media player.  
(...)
The ✓ alongside videolan in the above output indicates that the snap publisher has been verified.

Install a snap

Installing a snap is straightforward:

$ sudo snap install vlc

Update an installed snap

Snaps are updated automatically. However, to manually check for updates, use the following command:

$ sudo snap refresh vlc

Revert to a previously used snap

A snap may be reverted to a previously used revision with the snap revert command:

$ sudo snap revert vlc
vlc reverted to 3.0.5-1

Disable and enable snaps

If a snaps is temporarily undesired, it can be disabled and later enabled again. This avoids having to remove and reinstall them in the system:

$ sudo snap disable vlc
vlc disabled

$ sudo snap enable vlc
vlc enabled

Remove a snap

To remove a snap from your system, along with its internal user, system and configuration data, use the remove command:

$ sudo snap remove vlc
vlc removed

Using FLATPACK

Flatpak is a utility for software deployment and package management for Linux. It is advertised as offering a sandbox environment in which users can run application software in isolation from the rest of the system.

Flatpak was developed as part of the freedesktop.org project (formerly known as X Desktop Group or XDG) and was originally called xdg-app

Install Flatpak

To install Flatpak on Ubuntu 18.10 (Cosmic Cuttlefish) or later, simply run in terminal :

$ sudo apt install flatpak
$ sudo apt install gnome-software-plugin-flatpak
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

reboot the PC to apply this updates.

Install apps from flatpack:

Make sure to follow the setup guide before installing

$ flatpak install flathub org.videolan.VLC

To uninstall a Flatpak from the command line, you would go back to the terminal and issue the command:

sudo flatpak uninstall APPNAME

This is the basic introduction t app Installation in Ubuntu.