Snaps vs repos

Traditionally, software is installed on Ubuntu via package archives known as repositories, and these remain a vital tool for getting software onto your server. Ubuntu provides three official repos by default for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS: focal, focal, focal-updates, and focal-backports. You can browse their contents at https://

packages.ubuntu.com, and these can all be installed from the command line as soon as you log into Ubuntu Server for the first time.

The biggest issue with Ubuntu’s package archives is that many applications found here are frozen at the point of Ubuntu 20.04’s release, so any subsequent developer updates are ignored until your next major upgrade (22.04 isn’t due until May 2022). One prime example of this is Cockpit, which is ‘stuck’ at version 215 in Ubuntu 20.04 (27 updates have been released since then).

Many applications offer their own repositories, which work in the same way as Ubuntu’s own: once installed, they’re accessible via the “apt” command, and whenever new updates are released, you’ll be informed of them via Software Updates. Muddying the waters further, Ubuntu’s developer Canonical has developed “snaps,” which are installed using the “snap” command. Once in place, snaps then update automatically as soon as the developer releases a new version.

Apps can exist in multiple repos as well as snap – if an app exists as a snap (use the “snap find appname” command to verify if it does), then installing through here rather than the focal repos will ensure your apps remain up to date. If they’re not on snap, visit the software’s website to see if it provides its own repo. Add this as instructed, then use “apt” in the usual way to install the package.