Distribution-agnostic package management on Linux with Flatpak

KOKOT, ERAZEM (author), Dobravec, Tomaž (mentor)

Flatpak is a new distribution-agnostic package manager for Linux. Created in 2016 by Alexander Larsson, it has quickly grown in popularity due to its security-focused approach and simple packaging format, allowing application developers to package their applications only once but benefit from having them available on most Linux distributions. This thesis aims to implement a software store as a user-friendly graphical way of managing Flatpak appli- cations on the user’s system. The resulting project, written in Python and using the GTK3 toolkit, includes all the functionality of a typical package manager, such as the ability to install applications from a local file or remote repository, update any outdated applications, and uninstall currently installed applications.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Flatpak, GTK, Linux, package management, sandboxing
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Typology: 2.11 - Undergraduate Thesis
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science
• Year: 2022
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-140424
• COBISS.SI-ID: 123604227
• Publication date in RUL: 14.09.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Distribucijsko-neodvisno upravljanje aplikacij s Flatpak v okolju Linux

Abstract

Flatpak je nov, distribucijsko-neodvisen program za upravljanje s program- skimi paketi na operacijskih sistemih Linux. Leta 2016 ga je ustvaril Alexan- der Larsson, od takrat pa zaradi pristopa k varnosti in preprostega po- datkovnega formata hitro raste v popularnosti, saj izdelovalcem programske opreme omogoča, da svoje aplikacije zavijejo le enkrat, a jih kljub temu lahko uporabljajo uporabniki na večini distribucij Linux. Osrednji del diplomske naloge predstavlja razvoj uporabniku prijazne grafične programske trgovine, ki omogoča upravljanje z aplikacijami, zavitimi v format Flatpak. Projekt, napisan v programskem jeziku Python, skupaj z uporabo GTK3 programske knjižnice za grafične vmesnike omogoča vse najpogostejše funkcionalnosti upravljalcev programskih paketov, kot so nameščanje lokalnih programskih paketov, nameščanje paketov iz oddaljenih repozitorijev ter posodabljanje in odstranjevanje lokalno nameščenih programov.

• Keywords: Flatpak, GTK, izolacija, Linux, upravljanje z aplikacijami