Flatpak is a packaging format for distributing sandboxed applications on GNU/Linux distributions. Use this tag for all questions related to creating, distributing and running Flatpaks.
Flatpaks (previously known as xdg-app) are applications that run in a sandboxed environment and include all necessary dependencies. This gives the application the following benefits:
- Can be easily installed and uninstalled on most GNU/Linux distributions.
- Grants additional protection to the base system because of sandboxing.
- Does not depend on libraries from the base system, so alternate or multiple versions of software can be installed on the same system.
The downside to this is that the application will take up more disk space, since all dependencies are included with each application.
Flatpak can be installed on Ubuntu 20.04 (Focal Fossa) or later by enabling the Universe repository and running:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install flatpak
Flatpak packages are comparable in nature to snap and appimage. This existing Q&A explains more about the similarities and differences between the three formats.
