Explanation

Explanations provide a wider perspective of Snapcraft. They aid in understanding the concepts and relationships of Snapcraft as a complete system.

Bases and architectures

Bases and architectures are key concepts in snaps. They ensure that snaps are stable and compatible across different machines.

• Bases

• Architectures

Parts

Parts are how software is brought into snaps. When a snap is packed, its parts are processed in a series of ordered, reproducible steps.

• Parts

• Parts lifecycle

Files travel as bundles through the parts lifecycle. These bundles are called filesets.

• Filesets

Snap confinement

A snap’s confinement determines how much access it has to the host system’s resources.

A snap is sandboxed by default, with basic access to the host’s file system. If it needs other resources from the host, access is mediated through special interfaces.

• Interfaces

A classically-confined snap has broad access to the host’s resources and runs more like a traditional app.

• Classic confinement

Cryptography

Snapcraft and its external libraries use cryptographic tools for fetching files, communicating with local processes, and storing user credentials.

• Cryptographic technology