With AppImage, users can now run the latest version of programs even if they're on an older version of the operating system. And, based on the obtained results, they need to identify the dependencies that could be missing on that distro and bundle their package such that it includes those dependencies in it.Īs a result of this approach, while AppImage addresses problems for developers, it simultaneously addresses some for end-users as well. With the one app, one filesystem, all that AppImage developers need to do is target the distros for which they want to provide their programs and analyze the required dependencies. It essentially follows the universal software package approach, wherein it asks developers to package their program (and its dependencies that aren't a part of the distro) into a single file that can run easily across multiple Linux distros. Since there are numerous Linux distros out there, this process is usually tedious and time-consuming for the developers, as they need to modify their packages to meet the requirements of multiple distros.įurthermore, it can sometimes also lead to compatibility issues due to missing or changed dependencies, which can be difficult for developers to fix.ĪppImage aims to solve this problem by creating apps that run anywhere.

With the traditional Linux package management approach, developers need to bundle their apps as packages according to the rules of the distro. What Is AppImage, and How Does It Differ From Traditional Linux Packages?

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