Having a curious mind is a great virtue for anyone in tech. If you are a developer, programmer, system admin or in any where related to the aforementioned, you have probably heard of or seen “snapd” a couple of times.
In this post we will discuss what snapd is and its function.
Snapd in Linux, is a daemon that provides support for the Snap packaging system in Ubuntu and other Linux distributions.
It is responsible for managing the installation and removal of Snap packages, handling updates as well as, performing other tasks related to the Snap system.
Snapd however, is typically installed by default in Ubuntu and other Linux distributions that support Snap packages, and it is typically run in the background as a daemon process.
Now, if you are a total newbie in Linux and tech in general, you’d be like: “What the heck is snap packages and Daemon?” Well.. I’ll be explaining all that in a bit, no worries.
Snap Packages are a type of package that are designed to be easy to install and manage, and are particularly well-suited for use in environments where the user doesn’t have administrative privileges.
They are self-contained, which means that they include all of the necessary libraries and dependencies, and can be installed and run on any Linux system that supports Snapd.
So What Is A Daemon?
In a Unix-like operating system, a daemon is a background process that runs independently of any logged-in user session. Daemons typically perform tasks that don’t require user interaction, such as system maintenance, logging, or network communication.
Daemons are usually started at boot time and run continuously until the system is shut down. They are usually invoked by the operating system, and they do not have a user interface or a graphical display.
Instead, they perform their tasks in the background, and they communicate with other programs or systems using inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms such as sockets or pipes.
The term “daemon” comes from the Greek mythological figure of the same name, which was a spirit that served as an intermediary between the gods and humans.
In the context of computer systems, the term is often used to refer to background processes that serve as intermediaries between the operating system and other programs or devices.
I hope with the explanation above you now have a fair understanding of the two tech terms: Daemon and Snap packages. Next we will discuss the relevance of having snapd on your Linux based system.
Is it safe to disable or stop snapd in linux permanently?
It is generally not recommended to disable or stop the snapd daemon permanently on a Linux system.
Snapd is an important component of the operating system that is responsible for managing the installation and removal of Snap packages, as well as handling updates and other related tasks.
Disabling or stopping snapd may prevent you from installing, updating, or removing Snap packages, which could have unintended consequences for the functioning of your system.
Generally, in all major operating systems, it’s recommended to keep software and packages up to date, to enhance security. Disabling snapd in Linux could interfere with your regular updates for snap packages.
HOW DO YOU STOP OR DISABLE SNAPD IN LINUX.
Sometimes, as a tech person we come across system based bugs, like upgrades related challenges, untraceable loss of bandwidth and similar challenges. It kinda prompts us to try stopping some applications temporarily to figure out what is going on.
So if you have a specific reason for wanting to disable or stop snapd on your Linux based system, you can do so using the following steps:
Open a terminal window.
Type the following command and press Enter:
sudo systemctl stop snapd.service
The command above will stop the snapd service.
To disable the snapd service so that it does not start automatically at boot time, type the following command and press Enter:
sudo systemctl disable snapd.service
If you restart your system, snapd will be re-enabled and will start automatically at boot time unless you have specifically disabled it.
I would recommend caution when considering disabling or stopping snapd in Linux systems. It is generally better to leave the system components in their default configuration unless you have a specific reason for changing them.
BONUS(MANAGEMENT OF SNAP PACKAGES).
I will go a bit further to add some information on how to manage snap packages, as a bonus.
To update all of the Snap packages on a Linux system, you can use the following command:
sudo snap refresh
The command above will update all of the installed Snap packages to their latest available versions. It will also automatically apply any available security fixes or critical updates.
Alternatively, you can update a specific Snap package by using the following command:
sudo snap refresh <package_name>
Replace package_name with the name of the Snap package you want to update(Not with the brackets of course).
Note that the snap refresh command only updates the Snap packages that are installed on your system. It does not install new packages or remove any packages that are no longer needed.
If you want to update both Snap packages and APT packages, you can use the following command:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo snap refresh
The command above will update the APT package manager’s package index, install any available updates for APT packages, update all of the installed Snap packages, and apply any available security fixes or critical updates.
You Have Learnt In This Post, what snapd in Linux based systems is, the importance and how to disable or stop it.
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