Canonical today expanded the existing Snap package support on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS with the launch of its Snapcraft 2.9. The new Snappy creator tool is designed to let you easily create new Snap packages for your software.
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, codenamed Xenial Xerus, is the first Ubuntu version that brought ‘Snap’ package format alongside the traditional Debs. Although the operating system received an update last month to enable the Snap support, it didn’t have any native tool to let you easily create Snaps or Snappy packages until now.
Snapcraft 2.9 supports the “confinement” YAML property with “devmode” and “strict” options to enable easy Snap creation. Also, there is support for the “epoch” YAML proprietary to enable step upgrades within Snaps.
While the new release is certainly a significant one if you want to create new Snaps, its “confinement” YAML proprietary is still unfurnished. You need to specify Snaps if working under the “devmode” option. “This will allow for snapd to provide reasonable errors if one tries to install a snap that cannot run successfully under confinement,” reads the description on Launchpad.
Snapcraft 2.9 is available for access through the main software repositories of Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. You can install its presence on your system either using the Ubuntu Software graphical package or the APT command-line utility.
