Differences in app installation methods

[DeaconFrost]

So I gave up on installing Pop OS on a Dell XPS, and gave it a shot on my Maingear Vector gaming laptop. Worked like a charm. So now I'm in the customizing phase. I'm looking at four different installation methods for applications, and I'm stuck getting concise information on the differences. I realize this is debated often, but here are the four methods I see, and I'm curious to see what the community here prefers.

1. Pop OS Shop (or app store in whatever distro you are using)
2. install apt appnamegoeshere
3. Flatpaks
4. Snaps (if installed/enabled)

Because I build and manage Ubuntu servers, I am used to using the command line to update them, using the sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade command. Will that update applications installed by any/all of the above methods? Do you mix installation methods, or is it better to use one of the four to standardize application installs?

 

[Vermillion]

So I gave up on installing Pop OS on a Dell XPS, and gave it a shot on my Maingear Vector gaming laptop. Worked like a charm. So now I'm in the customizing phase. I'm looking at four different installation methods for applications, and I'm stuck getting concise information on the differences. I realize this is debated often, but here are the four methods I see, and I'm curious to see what the community here prefers.

1. Pop OS Shop (or app store in whatever distro you are using)
2. install apt appnamegoeshere
3. Flatpaks
4. Snaps (if installed/enabled)

Because I build and manage Ubuntu servers, I am used to using the command line to update them, using the sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade command. Will that update applications installed by any/all of the above methods? Do you mix installation methods, or is it better to use one of the four to standardize application installs?

1. It's just a GUI for apt cli.
2. This is what I use for everything on all my Ubuntu and Arch systems. CLI is best IMO.
3/4: Both Snaps and Flatpaks auto update themselves when the corresponding app is updated by the developer of the snap/flatpak

 

[ThatITGuy]

my understanding was that snaps (and maybe flatpacks) are more "bloated" because they have all of the libraries needed bundled into the container, whereas those libraries could already exist and be available.

 

[DeaconFrost]

Excellent info from you both. I am trying/hoping to script my basic software installs. I think I'll keep using the CLI, because that simplifies the scripting process.

 

[Vermillion]

my understanding was that snaps (and maybe flatpacks) are more "bloated" because they have all of the libraries needed bundled into the container, whereas those libraries could already exist and be available.

Key is they are known working libraries. Updating a library could break something (although in my experience this is incredibly rare nowadays). Snaps also do that so that you can run an LTS distro with older libraries but still update software that require newer library versions.

 

[ChadD]

In general install from repos. With Ubuntu based its apt which you understand. The GUI app store in every distro is just a package manager front end that hopefully makes it easier to search ect.

The reason to install flatpaks or snaps... is if you want to sandbox something, or if you want a very stable version of one piece of software. As ThatITGuy mentioned they include copies of their own dependencies... yes that leads to more things installed often duplicates. However it also means the maintainers can upgrade/downgrade... or keep things exactly as expected. Also if what you want to install isn't in your distros repos... (or your repos have a out of date version for whatever reason) its probably better to install the flat or snap then to hand build or bypass your package manager and copy programs where you want them. (that is always a last last last resort as I'm sure you know)