.SNAP

Introduction

A .snap file is a package for Snap, Canonical’s system for distributing Linux applications with the libraries they need. Snaps are installed and kept up to date by the snapd service, usually from the Snap Store, and run confined, with access to the rest of the system only through declared interfaces. Snap is built into Ubuntu and can be added to many other distributions.

Structure

A snap is a SquashFS filesystem image, so it starts with the SquashFS magic hsqs (68 73 71 73). It is not unpacked when installed: snapd mounts it read-only, and each revision stays a separate image so an update can be rolled back. Inside, meta/snap.yaml gives the snap’s name, version, the commands it provides and the interfaces it uses; the rest of the image holds the application’s files.

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