Linyaps: Next-Gen Universal Package Manager for Linux

📦 Introduction

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Linyaps (Linyaps Is Not Yet Another Packaging System) is a cross-distribution Linux package format developed and open-sourced by the Linyaps community. It implements application packaging, management, and distribution through independent sandbox containers, aiming to replace traditional package managers like deb and rpm. Linyaps ensures Linux software runs with better compatibility, security, and efficiency.

✨ Highlights

• Innovative Partial Runtime Design: Based on a standardized sandbox Runtime, applications can be built once and run across all Linux distributions. Multiple Runtime versions coexist with shared files to reduce redundancy. Shared resources are reused during startup via dynamic libraries, significantly improving speed and avoiding dependency conflicts.
• Non-Privileged Sandbox with Dual-Layer Isolation: Runs without root privileges by default. Utilizes kernel Namespace isolation (process/filesystem/network) to create a secure sandbox. Atomic incremental updates and version rollbacks are provided via OSTree repositories, resulting in lower resource consumption compared to full sandbox solutions.

🎏 Progress

• Supported Distributions: deepin, UOS, openEuler, Ubuntu, Debian, openKylin, Anolis OS. More distributions are under adaptation. Contributions are welcome.
• CPU Architectures: X86, ARM64, LoongArch. Future support for RISC-V and others.

⚙️ Installation

Installation instructions for supported distributions:

deepin 23

Install:

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/Deepin_23/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linglong.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linglong-bin

Fedora 41

sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile "https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/Fedora_41/linglong%3ACI%3Arelease.repo"
sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install linglong-bin

Ubuntu 24.04

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/xUbuntu_24.04/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linglong.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linglong-bin

Debian 12

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/Debian_12/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linglong.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linglong-bin

openEuler 23.09

sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo "https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/openEuler_23.09/linglong%3ACI%3Arelease.repo"
sudo sh -c "echo gpgcheck=0 >> /etc/yum.repos.d/linglong%3ACI%3Arelease.repo"
sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install linglong-bin

uos 1070

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/uos_1070/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linglong.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linglong-bin

AnolisOS 8

sudo dnf config-manager addrepo --from-repofile "https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/AnolisOS_8/linglong%3ACI%3Arelease.repo"
sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install linglong-bin

openkylin 2.0

echo "deb [trusted=yes] https://ci.deepin.com/repo/obs/linglong:/CI:/release/openkylin_2.0/ ./" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/linglong.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install linglong-bin

🚀 Quick Start

ll-cli install cn.org.linyaps.demo
ll-cli run cn.org.linyaps.demo

🎯 Motivation

Why develop Linyaps when Snap, Flatpak, and AppImage already exist?

• In 2017, we evaluated Flatpak and built 100+ packages, but discontinued due to large application size, excessive disk usage, and slow security fixes.
• Snap has compatibility issues outside Ubuntu and lacks an open ecosystem.
• AppImage offers portability but lacks centralized repository management and robust sandboxing, compromising security.

After extensive experimentation, we designed Linyaps to address these shortcomings. Key advantages over alternatives include:

• Partial Runtime: Smaller footprint and faster startup via shared resources.
• Rootless Sandbox: Enhanced security without requiring root privileges.

Benchmark results demonstrate Linyaps' performance superiority:

Test #	Linyaps Frames	Linyaps Time (ms)	Flatpak Frames	Flatpak Time (ms)	AppImage Frames	AppImage Time (ms)	Snap Frames	Snap Time (ms)
1	9	149.4	14	232.4	16	265.6	42	697.2
2	9	149.4	13	215.8	17	282.2	41	680.6
3	8	132.8	9	149.4	15	249	40	664
4	9	149.4	13	215.8	15	249	41	680.6
5	8	132.8	14	232.4	16	265.6	42	697.2
6	8	132.8	13	215.8	15	249	39	664
7	9	149.4	12	199.2	15	249	39	647.4
8	8	132.8	14	232.4	16	265.6	40	680.6
Avg	8.5	141.1	12.8	213.7	15.6	261.6	40.5	676.2

📨 Getting Help

For assistance, use the following channels:

• GitHub Issues
• Forum
• Contact Us

📝 Documentation

Command-line Tools

• Introduction
• Install
• Run
• Uninstall
• Upgrade
• List
• Prune
• Enter
• Content
• Info
• PS
• Kill
• Search

Build Tools

• Introduction
• Demo
• Create
• Run
• Push
• Export
• Build
• Extract
• Import
• List
• Remove
• Repository

Package Conversion Tools

deb Conversion

• Introduction
• Init
• Convert
• Adep

AppImage Conversion

• Introduction
• Convert

Flatpak Conversion

• Introduction
• Convert

Debugging

• Debug

FAQs

• Runtime FAQs
• Linyaps Builder FAQs
• Linyaps Conversion Tool FAQs

📖 Learning Resources

Getting Started

• Overview - Introduction to Linyaps basic concepts
• Installation - Detailed installation guide
• Build Your First App - Complete tutorial for beginners

Building and Packaging

• Package Specification - Detailed packaging standards
• Build Configuration - Understanding linglong.yaml
• Module Management - Module splitting and management
• Multi-architecture Support - Cross-platform building
• Demo Examples - Practical build demonstrations

Reference Documentation

• Basic Concepts - Core concepts and terminology
• Runtime Component - Runtime system details
• Driver Documentation - Driver-related information

Advanced Topics

• Desktop Integration - Desktop environment integration
• Unit Testing - Testing frameworks and practices
• Bundle Format - Package format specifications
• System Helper - System utility documentation
• Application Configuration - App configuration guide
• Root Filesystem - Root filesystem management
• UAB Build - UAB format building
• Repository Management - Repository operations
• UAB Publishing - UAB format publishing
• Mirror Sites - Mirror configuration

Tutorial Series

• Linyaps Packaging Basics
• Manual Compilation in Container
• Offline Source Compilation
• Compilation with Git & Patch
• Automated Testing Suite

Related Projects

• OSTree
• Linyaps Packaging Tool - ll-killer-go
• Linyaps Web Store

Explore more tutorials at Linyaps Official Website.

⚒️ Contribution

We welcome issue reports and contributions. See the Developer Guide for instructions on building Linyaps from source.

Start discussions on GitHub Discussions.

⚖️ License

Licensed under LGPL-3.0-or-later.

👥 Community

Acknowledgment to all contributors! Visit our Community Page.

If Linyaps helps you, consider giving it a or .