There is a lot of talk about the success and acceptance you are having the Snapcraft system, being an alternative for some 2,000 developers who use the platform. In addition, the figures show that around three million downloads are made each month, with an average of one hundred thousand per day.
On the other hand, to make it easier to install between the different distributions of Linux, recognized technology companies such as Google, Mozilla and Microsoft have released Snaps of their applications and it has even been decided to create an installer for Windows.
In this course, we will delve into the value of this free software tool, the usefulness of Snap packages and what you can find in the official Snapcraft store, specifically for Linux. Do not miss any details.
What is Snapcraft and what is this tool for on Linux?
Snapcraft is a tool that allows developers to create packages of any application to be used in Snappy. That is to say, it gathers all the necessary dependencies for the packaging of the applications and to be able to be executed. In recent versions it is much more powerful, making the entire packaging process easy and simple. Besides, another novelty is that brings graphical support for GNOME.
What is the Snap format and what kind of files is it used for?
Snap is a read-only compressed file of the type “squashFS”. In it you will find both the application code and a file that contains information about the package, called “snap.yaml “. This makes it easy for the software to work on any computer, since all the dependencies are within it.
An advantage is that those packages that the file contains they can be updated without affecting the rest of the operating system. At the same time, the interaction with other applications and the system itself are controlled directly by the user, who must grant the respective permission.
Uses of Snap Packeting In which sectors is it used and what is its usefulness in each of them?
The popularity of the packages Snap grows every day and They bring a large number of applications that would be difficult to achieve in other ways. In addition, they make installation easy and do it in a single source of content.
Now let’s see some of the sectors in which they are usually used and the benefits it brings:
In IoT
“Internet Of Things” translated into Spanish means internet of things and allows the connection and grouping of any object or device through a network. Its fame has been consolidated by all the possibilities it presents in the creation of projects to improve life at home and at the business level.
In this case, packages are used to share files or navigate between files without having a server, create a chat, a calendar, use voice assistant Alexa or make use of Amazon technologies, to name a few utilities.
In Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is a cloud work system, which allows remote access to programs, files, data and many other things through the internet. In this case, you can use Netcloud, which works similar to Dropbox and that allows the preconfigured virtual hosting service and is installed on a private server. We must indicate that it runs in any distribution of Linux that supports the execution of Snap.
In programming
With Snap packages it’s easy create and install applications. This makes the compatibility between the software and Linux seamless. In addition, it is easily updated automatically and has a higher level of security. It has powerful features in the benchmark and integrates the dependency service.
List of the best snaps you can find in the Snapcreaft store for Linux
There is a large number of snap packages found in its own app store known as Snapcreaft. There all the news are published and updates for Ubuntu operating systems.
We are going to make a compilation of the best applications that you can find in this store:
Games
Quickly and easily, games can be run on snap, there are so many to choose from.
We show you five in our list of the best options in games:
- Speleology: it is based on walking as deep as possible through a cave to collect treasures.
- TrackMania Nations Forever: Crossing a track that defies the laws of gravity is one of the game’s challenges.
- Warzone 2100: This game is about rebuilding the world after a nuclear battle has occurred.
- OpenRA: a strategy game compatible with the Westwood classics.
- DOSBox-X: it is an X86 emulator with graphic sound. It is one of the community’s favorite options.
IoT (Internet of Things)
The applications are multiple and has a business use to automate and simplify various Projects.
Of all we have selected these:
- Node-RED: a programming tool that can connect devices and services online.
- Edgexfoundry– This project creates a common framework for computing and contains all EdgeX services.
- Kura– An OSGi-based application for creating service gateways.
- Soracom-console: application that allows you to open the web administration console.
- Ixagent: allows the administration of IoT, that is, it connects the intelligent equipment that may be in the same space.
Developing
This time we mean applications that help us create other toolsEither in planning or in development.
We list five options that will help you if you are a developer:
- PyCharm CE: Useful application for Python coding, used in web and scientific development.
- Sublime Text: a text editor for source codes and commands. It is quite useful on Raspberry computers.
- PhpStorm: is a PHP Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that, among other things, provides editing of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Android Studio: is an application creator for all types of Android devices.
- Notepad-Plus-Plus: a small, faster-running text-editing program based on C ++.
Social networks
In Linux We also find various applications of social networks and other similar services, which although many are not official versions, they open the way for us to access.
Part of the applications that you will find are the following:
- Slack: makes the communication of a work team of a large or small company.
- Skype: is a voice or video call service with people anywhere in the world.
- Instagraph– An unofficial way to connect to your Instagram account.
- Rocket.Chat Desktop: a desktop application for chatting and sharing all kinds of personal information.
- Yakyak: tool that makes Google Hangouts work on the desktop.
Productivity
In this field we come across applications that help us organize tasks and thus be able to be more productive.
Check out the list we have chosen:
- Chromium: open source browser that provides greater stability to the user with a slow internet connection.
- Zenkit: collaboration platform to manage projects of different types.
- LibreOffice– Free office suite that includes various applications for text and image editing.
- Mailspring– Email client that allows offline search and is compatible with Gmail.
- Brave: it is a web browser that blocks advertising and guarantees security.
Multimedia
The following tools are related to audio and video, as well as photo editing and screenshots:
- FFmpeg– Plays, streams, encodes and decodes various audio and video formats.
- ScreenCloud– Take screenshots quickly and easily.
- Shotcut– Video editor that works on Windows, Linux and Mac. It does NOT require a lot of physical resources to work.
- OBS Studio: application that streams and records video content properly. It is linked to streaming services on social networks.
- IPTVnator: video player that allows importing lists and also has support for IPTV.
Servers and the cloud
These apps they work mainly connected to the internet and provide users with an experience similar to that of access files stored on a server.
Review the five options that we have listed:
- Heroku: create and manage applications from various devices.
- Kata-containers: application to create servers in virtual machines.
- Mosquitto– A lightweight tool that consumes little bandwidth and can be deployed to small teams. It is used to share files.
- Juju– Manage files from multiple and hybrid clouds. It works for sharing large volume of data.
- NATs messaging server: is a communication platform for digital systems and equipment.
Security
We all want protect the safety of our equipment as well as the networks to which we connect.
From a VPN to a firewall you will find these options:
- KeePassXC– Password manager that stores confidential information saved on your computer.
- Tor middle relay: protects privacy by preventing the network from being tracked by third parties.
- Tinc VPN: a virtual private network that protects users through tunnels and encryption.
- UFW: in an easy and simple way, it manages a firewall on any device such as PCs, laptops and tablets.
- Keepassx-elopio: With a lightweight interface, it is especially useful for those who need secure data management.