# canonical/snapcraft

Package, distribute, and update any app for Linux and IoT.

Repository: https://github.com/canonical/snapcraft
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/snapcraft
Homepage: https://documentation.ubuntu.com/snapcraft
Language: Python
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: snaps
Last push: 2026-08-25T16:43:12+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 96/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 90, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3961, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 65, "gap_med": 12.5, "n_releases_24m": 43}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1282, forks 546 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:14.107104+00:00)

## What it is
Snapcraft is Canonical's command-line build tool for packaging, distributing, and updating applications in the snap container format. It bundles an app with all its libraries into a self-contained snap that runs on all major Linux distributions and IoT devices, and publishes to the Snap Store.

## Use cases
- package a Linux app as a snap
- distribute my app to all Linux distros from one build
- publish an app to the Snap Store
- bundle dependencies so my app runs anywhere on Linux
- package an IoT application for Ubuntu Core
- create a snapcraft.yaml for my project
- upload and release snap revisions to the store

## When to choose
- you want one package format that works across all major Linux distributions
- you need to ship desktop, server, CLI, or IoT apps with automatic updates via the Snap Store
- you want dependency bundling so users don't need to install libraries
- you target Ubuntu Core or embedded/IoT devices
- you need cross-architecture builds and parallel release channels

## When to avoid
- you only target a single distribution and prefer native packages like deb or rpm
- you want minimal package sizes - snaps bundle their dependencies and can be large
- your users dislike the Snap Store or mandatory auto-updates
- you need a purely declarative CI build without container-based build providers

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: build-tool, package-manager, cli, deployment, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, operating-systems, iot
- platform: windows, cli, python
- tags: snap-packaging, snap-store, app-distribution, container-format, canonical, command-line, devops, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- canonical/snapcraft (main) score 96

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:14.107104+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:57:41.084146+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/canonical/snapcraft (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:14.107104+00:00, sha 635f37cc1983)
  - homepage: https://documentation.ubuntu.com/snapcraft (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:13.976697+00:00, sha 35b3c7c901e0)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to/crafting (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.016266+00:00, sha 6fe64c98996d)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to/crafting/configure-package-information (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.018867+00:00, sha ae9f5393c0da)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to/set-up-snapcraft (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.012186+00:00, sha 0e7ce855d2c8)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to/select-a-build-provider (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.014151+00:00, sha f59d26b91c3a)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/tutorials (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:13.985744+00:00, sha b76cd153836d)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/tutorials/craft-a-snap (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.003492+00:00, sha 45e82d36e6c9)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.010172+00:00, sha 1be695227f96)
  - site_page: https://ubuntu.com/docs/snapcraft/latest/how-to/crafting/specify-a-base (fetched 2026-08-29T12:13:14.021556+00:00, sha 4f74a615faf9)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.