apps

Ways to install and manage applications on Linux, from traditional package managers to containers and portable formats.

package managers

flatpak

Sandboxed applications from Flathub. Run on any distribution.

bash# add Flathub remote
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

# search for an app
flatpak search firefox

# install
flatpak install flathub org.mozilla.firefox

# list installed
flatpak list --app

# update all
flatpak update

# run
flatpak run org.mozilla.firefox
    

appimage

Portable, self-contained applications — download, make executable, and run. No installation needed.

bash# download an AppImage
wget https://example.com/app.AppImage

# make executable
chmod +x app.AppImage

# run
./app.AppImage

# integrate into desktop (optional)
sudo apt install appimagelauncher
    

containers

Run applications in isolated environments using Docker or Podman.

bash# docker: run and remove on exit
docker run --rm -it ubuntu bash

# podman: same interface, daemonless
podman run --rm -it ubuntu bash

# docker compose
docker compose up -d

# view running containers
docker ps
docker stats
    

systemd services

Manage background services on any systemd-based distribution.

bash# start / stop / restart
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl stop nginx
sudo systemctl restart nginx

# enable at boot
sudo systemctl enable nginx

# enable + start in one command
sudo systemctl enable --now nginx

# view status and logs
sudo systemctl status nginx
journalctl -u nginx -f

# list all running services
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running