Install and remove Flatpak software packages

2. Manage Software

📘Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA – EX200)

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1. What is Flatpak?

Flatpak is a system for installing and managing software on Linux in a way that is independent of your Linux distribution.

• Traditional Linux software is installed using RPM (Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS) or DEB (Debian, Ubuntu) packages. These depend on system libraries and versions.
• Flatpak packages include their own libraries and dependencies, which makes them isolated and reduces conflicts with other software.
• This is useful in IT environments when multiple applications need different versions of libraries without breaking the system.

Think of Flatpak as self-contained software apps. They are sandboxed, meaning they run safely without interfering with the rest of the system.

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2. Installing Flatpak on a RHEL system

Before using Flatpak, you must install Flatpak itself.

1. Make sure your system is connected to the internet.
2. Run:

sudo dnf install flatpak

• dnf is the package manager used in RHEL-based systems.
• After this, your system can install and manage Flatpak apps.

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3. Adding Flatpak Repositories

Flatpak uses repositories to find and install apps. The most common is Flathub.

1. Add Flathub repository:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

• remote-add adds a new source of Flatpak packages.
• --if-not-exists prevents adding the same repo twice.

2. List all Flatpak remotes (to verify):

flatpak remotes

• Output shows flathub if added successfully.

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4. Searching for Flatpak Applications

Before installing, you can search for software:

flatpak search <application-name>

Example:

flatpak search gimp

• This searches Flathub for the GIMP image editor.
• You’ll see the app name, ID, and description.

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5. Installing Flatpak Applications

To install a software package using Flatpak:

sudo flatpak install flathub <application-ID>

• Replace <application-ID> with the exact ID from the search result.
• Example:

sudo flatpak install flathub org.gimp.GIMP

• Flatpak will show the app size, dependencies, and ask for confirmation. Type y to proceed.
• Flatpak apps are installed in /var/lib/flatpak/ (system-wide) or ~/.local/share/flatpak/ (user-only).

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6. Running Flatpak Applications

After installation, you can run the app with:

flatpak run <application-ID>

Example:

flatpak run org.gimp.GIMP

• This is similar to typing the app name in a normal Linux shell.
• You can also find it in the desktop menu if your GUI is installed.

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7. Updating Flatpak Applications

Flatpak apps do not update with dnf. To update:

sudo flatpak update

• This updates all Flatpak applications installed on the system.
• You can update a single app too:

sudo flatpak update org.gimp.GIMP

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8. Listing Installed Flatpak Applications

To see all apps installed via Flatpak:

flatpak list

• Output includes App ID, Version, Branch, and Installation source.

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9. Removing Flatpak Applications

To remove/uninstall a Flatpak app:

sudo flatpak uninstall <application-ID>

Example:

sudo flatpak uninstall org.gimp.GIMP

• You can also remove unused runtimes (libraries apps depend on) with:

sudo flatpak uninstall --unused

• This cleans up unnecessary space on the system.

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10. Important Points for the Exam

For RHCSA EX200, you need to:

1. Install Flatpak itself using dnf.
2. Add Flathub repository for extra apps.
3. Search, install, run, update, and remove Flatpak applications.
4. Understand the difference between system-wide and user installation.
5. Use commands like:
   • flatpak install, flatpak uninstall, flatpak run
   • flatpak search, flatpak list, flatpak update
   • flatpak remote-add, flatpak remotes

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11. IT Environment Example

• In a Linux server, you might need specific tools like GIMP or Visual Studio Code that require newer libraries than what the system has.
• Using Flatpak, you can install these tools without changing system libraries, keeping the server stable.
• Developers can run multiple versions of the same app safely.

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✅ Summary Table of Key Commands

Task	Command Example
Install Flatpak	sudo dnf install flatpak
Add Flathub Repository	sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
Search for Apps	flatpak search <app-name>
Install App	sudo flatpak install flathub <app-ID>
Run App	flatpak run <app-ID>
List Installed Apps	flatpak list
Update Apps	sudo flatpak update
Remove App	sudo flatpak uninstall <app-ID>
Remove Unused Runtimes	sudo flatpak uninstall --unused