{"slug": "snap", "name": "Snap", "category": "dev-libs", "category_name": "Libraries and frameworks", "description": "", "recommenders": 1, "commenters": 18, "warners": 15, "score": -12.57, "rising": 1.0, "first": "2026-02-10", "latest": "2026-10-19", "why": "", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 15}, "spark": [0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Snap", "Snap!"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 801662720, "item_id": 50103920, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50103920", "by": "queenkjuul", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Snap packages are very easy to create", "excerpt": "I can't understand the snap hate personally. Snap packages are very easy to create and i like being able to install e.g. a language toolchain in a self contained way that doesn't depend on or pollute my system libraries. And ultimately i use a distro because i trust its maintainers, i can't bring myself to get upset about what package format they choose to use", "context": "", "use_case": "self-contained language toolchains", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 802411746, "item_id": 50150734, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150734", "by": "Tooster", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snaps get there but the cold boot time and occasional errors annoy me AF", "excerpt": "AppImage works in the same way downloading a binary from the web and running it with `./program` works. It is dumb simple, but it has really poor integration with the system. I've been using AppImages for several years but the manual churn got to tedious \u2014 auto updates, system integration, background services, keeping it tidy. I contributed AppImage packaging workflow to some apps \u2014 mechanism itself is messy, support", "context": "", "use_case": "app packaging on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 802408561, "item_id": 50150535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150535", "by": "oflebbe", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "don't mix flatpak with snap. Different technology, I share mixed feelings about snaps.", "excerpt": "Flatpak is now an indispensible part of my linux setup on debian or an older ubuntu LTS: Running up-to-date desktop apps like synology-drive, prusa slicer, keepassxc, kdenlive or even Steam at the same time without any conflicting dependencies and configurations tainting the distribution. And if you do not want to use it any more, you can simply remove it with little or even no traces left behind. I love the experien", "context": "Linux user on Debian or older Ubuntu LTS", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 802395890, "item_id": 50149743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50149743", "by": "edg5000", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes", "excerpt": "Every time I tried Flatpak it did not work, always some other problem. Maybe this got fixed nowadays. I did not find it user friendly either, but this could be addressed by the distro. AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that. Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes (what?!) last time I checked.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 801849152, "item_id": 50115572, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115572", "by": "bayindirh", "date": "2026-10-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "closed backend, metastasizing silently, pulling the rug silently under me", "excerpt": "> you can't opt out of apt without changing distros Yes, however apt/dnf/emerge/etc. are main package managers of the systems. They don't slowly overtake packages you use or the repositories of other distributions do not quietly offload package installations to other package managers (e.g.: apt install firefox triggers snap installation in Ubuntu. This is malicious behavior). Brew, flatpak, etc. live alongside your d", "context": "built a Debian derivative distribution", "use_case": "package management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}]}], "who": [{"by": "gs17", "context": "teaches students", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49666137", "date": "2026-09-11"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["package management", "app packaging on linux", "running firefox as snap", "self-contained language toolchains", "teaching programming to students", "teaching kids programming"], "compared": [{"slug": "flatpak", "name": "Flatpak", "co": 10, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "ubuntu", "name": "Ubuntu", "co": 5, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "appimage", "name": "AppImage", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "debian", "name": "Debian", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "apt", "name": "apt", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50102423", "title": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released", "mentions": 6}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50148601", "title": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49662214", "title": "\u03bb Snap \u2013 An inviting programming language for kids and adults for CS study", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908757", "title": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49474786", "title": "Sovereign Tech Agency invests \u20ac500k in Flatpak", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48528729", "title": "Linux 7.1", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"warn": 2}, "2026-03": {"warn": 1}, "2026-04": {"warn": 1}, "2026-05": {"warn": 1}, "2026-06": {"warn": 1}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"warn": 1}, "2026-09": {"neutral": 2, "warn": 1}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1, "warn": 7}}, "quotes": [{"id": 802411746, "item_id": 50150734, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150734", "by": "Tooster", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snaps get there but the cold boot time and occasional errors annoy me AF", "excerpt": "AppImage works in the same way downloading a binary from the web and running it with `./program` works. It is dumb simple, but it has really poor integration with the system. I've been using AppImages for several years but the manual churn got to tedious \u2014 auto updates, system integration, background services, keeping it tidy. I contributed AppImage packaging workflow to some apps \u2014 mechanism itself is messy, support", "context": "", "use_case": "app packaging on Linux", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 802408561, "item_id": 50150535, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50150535", "by": "oflebbe", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "don't mix flatpak with snap. Different technology, I share mixed feelings about snaps.", "excerpt": "Flatpak is now an indispensible part of my linux setup on debian or an older ubuntu LTS: Running up-to-date desktop apps like synology-drive, prusa slicer, keepassxc, kdenlive or even Steam at the same time without any conflicting dependencies and configurations tainting the distribution. And if you do not want to use it any more, you can simply remove it with little or even no traces left behind. I love the experien", "context": "Linux user on Debian or older Ubuntu LTS", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 802395890, "item_id": 50149743, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50149743", "by": "edg5000", "date": "2026-10-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes", "excerpt": "Every time I tried Flatpak it did not work, always some other problem. Maybe this got fixed nowadays. I did not find it user friendly either, but this could be addressed by the distro. AppImage actually works and is simple, so I use that. Snap is trash because autoupdate cannot be disabled without code changes (what?!) last time I checked.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Flatpak \u2013 An Insecurity Nightmare (2023)"}, {"id": 801849152, "item_id": 50115572, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115572", "by": "bayindirh", "date": "2026-10-16", "stance": "warn", "quote": "closed backend, metastasizing silently, pulling the rug silently under me", "excerpt": "> you can't opt out of apt without changing distros Yes, however apt/dnf/emerge/etc. are main package managers of the systems. They don't slowly overtake packages you use or the repositories of other distributions do not quietly offload package installations to other package managers (e.g.: apt install firefox triggers snap installation in Ubuntu. This is malicious behavior). Brew, flatpak, etc. live alongside your d", "context": "built a Debian derivative distribution", "use_case": "package management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801715104, "item_id": 50107194, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50107194", "by": "ndsipa_pomu", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "What bugs me the most with snap is that the system insists that I close down e.g firefox or signal, so that it can be updated.", "excerpt": "I've been using Ubuntu for years and admin a whole bunch of Ubuntu servers for work - I originally chose it due to it having more recent packages than Debian and it's relatively easy to find information on fixes due to its popularity. What bugs me the most with snap is that the system insists that I close down e.g firefox or signal, so that it can be updated. That's annoying as are the frequent notifications that the", "context": "admins Ubuntu servers for work", "use_case": "package management", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801678704, "item_id": 50104919, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104919", "by": "amelius", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "These two points together make snap unworkable for me.", "excerpt": "My biggest issue is that I cannot start a snap program, e.g. firefox, and allow it to access different mount points than the one used for snap. I know there have been partial fixes and workarounds, but if they change what it means to run a program in Linux and unexpected things happen, then I consider that broken. Also, when I use VNC and xeyes works, then I expect any X11 program to work. Except, this does not alway", "context": "", "use_case": "running Firefox as snap", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801670144, "item_id": 50104384, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104384", "by": "bayindirh", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "its design and push as a technology is a deal breaker for me", "excerpt": "Hate is such a strong word. I don't hate snaps per se, but its design and push as a technology is a deal breaker for me. A showstopper, if you prefer the term. As a person who uses Linux for both technical and ideological reasons, the freedoms are equally important for me as well as the technical merits. A system behaving the way I can't control and I can't replace is a no-no for me. Can I opt out of Snaps? No. Is th", "context": "Linux user for technical and ideological reasons, moving to self-hosting", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801666450, "item_id": 50104153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50104153", "by": "nicfio", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "warn", "quote": "wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir", "excerpt": "I don't like Ubuntu. It was born with the intent of making Linux more user friendly, it changed policy wanting to become the Microsoft of the linux world: Snap, Mir. And then why use a derivative if I can stay on the original? I love debian: stable, it creates the right environment to feel at ease without the fear that every update can break something. Old software? flatpak and appimage solve the problem comfortably.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 801662720, "item_id": 50103920, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50103920", "by": "queenkjuul", "date": "2026-10-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Snap packages are very easy to create", "excerpt": "I can't understand the snap hate personally. Snap packages are very easy to create and i like being able to install e.g. a language toolchain in a self contained way that doesn't depend on or pollute my system libraries. And ultimately i use a distro because i trust its maintainers, i can't bring myself to get upset about what package format they choose to use", "context": "", "use_case": "self-contained language toolchains", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.10 (Stonking Stingray) released"}, {"id": 798553729, "item_id": 49909608, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909608", "by": "BadBadJellyBean", "date": "2026-09-30", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I am not the biggest fan of snap but I know how to get around it.", "excerpt": "I use it because I am very happy with the release schedule and the maturity. I don't want to use the latest greatest. I want something that works and has some manpower (and maybe money) behind it. I am not the biggest fan of snap but I know how to get around it.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Upgrade your desktop: Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS is now available"}, {"id": 794658192, "item_id": 49666137, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49666137", "by": "gs17", "date": "2026-09-11", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "they also have libraries of sprites and backgrounds which are pretty useful when we use this with students", "excerpt": "You have to add one, in the sounds tab you can record one, or in the file menu they have a library of them you can load (they also have libraries of sprites and backgrounds which are pretty useful when we use this with students).", "context": "teaches students", "use_case": "teaching programming to students", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u03bb Snap \u2013 An inviting programming language for kids and adults for CS study"}, {"id": 794604834, "item_id": 49662802, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49662802", "by": "jc4p", "date": "2026-09-11", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I've been spending a lot of time with my nephews working on Scratch and Snap.", "excerpt": "I've been spending a lot of time with my nephews working on Scratch and Snap. They also attend local classes and their teachers switched from Snap to this which is way simpler and stickier with my nephews: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/makecode", "context": "", "use_case": "teaching kids programming", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u03bb Snap \u2013 An inviting programming language for kids and adults for CS study"}, {"id": 791632305, "item_id": 49477019, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477019", "by": "EffrafaxOfWug", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I avoid flatpaks and snaps as much as I can.", "excerpt": "I avoid flatpaks and snaps as much as I can. Here is a little blog post from 2021 that lists some of the huge issues flatpaks have https://ludocode.com/blog/flatpak-is-not-the-future If you want to sandbox your programs highly recommend looking at firejail.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Sovereign Tech Agency invests \u20ac500k in Flatpak"}, {"id": 776531216, "item_id": 48533201, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48533201", "by": "fn-mote", "date": "2026-06-14", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snap applications are still not \u201cequal enough\u201d to installed apps.", "excerpt": "> Are there other reasons to not like Ubuntu other than the windowing manager? Snap applications are still not \u201cequal enough\u201d to installed apps. They have gotten better, but it\u2019s not seamless and when you get burned it\u2019s 2 hours debugging. Each time. An app I use/help maintain regularly gets bug reports about sandboxed behavior. It\u2019s understandable but the easiest fix is to install an unsandboxed version. I personall", "context": "maintains an app", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Linux 7.1"}, {"id": 768563153, "item_id": 48035197, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48035197", "by": "solarkraft", "date": "2026-05-06", "stance": "warn", "quote": "I also dislike Snap and the various other Ubuntu anti-features", "excerpt": "> There's also the fact that Ubuntu ships with the GNOME desktop environment, and really only GNOME. This is a feature. Standardization is what makes \u201eWorks on Ubuntu\u201c a stable target. I also dislike Snap and the various other Ubuntu anti-features, which is why I recommend Pop OS - at least I did when it was a light weight Ubuntu fork, it may not be anymore. This is just a rando\u2018s opinion, so it may not be based on t", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Fedora is now the default Linux recommendation, and Ubuntu did this to itself"}, {"id": 766174960, "item_id": 47885935, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47885935", "by": "satvikpendem", "date": "2026-04-23", "stance": "warn", "quote": "What should I use if I like Ubuntu but not snap", "excerpt": "What should I use if I like Ubuntu but not snap, just Debian? Or are there alternatives around? Seems like Ubuntu has the best hardware and driver support so just curious what's new in Linux land.", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ubuntu 26.04 LTS Released"}, {"id": 758974609, "item_id": 47435913, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47435913", "by": "throwa356262", "date": "2026-03-19", "stance": "warn", "quote": "Snap needs to die, it is hurting everybody including canonical", "excerpt": "I love multipass. It is a simple no BS virtualization solution and probably the best thing to come out of Ubuntu after LXD. But I can't use it. You know why? Because despite being open source Canonical wont tell you how to compile it and install it as a standalone program. Instead all their documentation says \"install via snap\"... even if your are on fedora or debian or arch: https://github.com/canonical/multipass Sn", "context": "", "use_case": "package distribution", "switched_from": "", "story": "CVE-2026-3888: Important Snap Flaw Enables Local Privilege Escalation to Root"}, {"id": 754078833, "item_id": 47129927, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47129927", "by": "h4kunamata", "date": "2026-02-23", "stance": "warn", "quote": "SNAP which is only managed and supported by them", "excerpt": "Ubuntu used to be the distro to go do, used to. - SNAP which is only managed and supported by them - Tried to reinvent the wheel with sudo-rs - They are heavily focused into cloud, servers and business - Following the Rust hype train I used Ubuntu for 13y or so, it is a Windows within Linux world. Bloated, kernel panic, heavy, privacy issues. Debian still the king to be used as servers, Mint Cinnamon is the king for ", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "What it means that Ubuntu is using Rust"}, {"id": 751470660, "item_id": 46966916, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46966916", "by": "alias_neo", "date": "2026-02-10", "stance": "warn", "quote": "don't worry about snaps, you don't want them", "excerpt": "You seem to have missed a couple of things that have caused you a bit of a headache here, I'm hoping I can encourage you to try again with a little bit of info. I've been using Linux for as long as it has existed, I'm also a backend-dev that works on a Linux machine and targets Linux-based platforms for deployment, even my kids use Linux. Windows went downhill for me after about Windows 2000 and Linux has only gotten", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "The Switch to Linux and the Beginning of My Self-Hosting Journey"}]}