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Featuring declarative installation methods, general fixes and enhancement, featuring headers
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== Usage ==
== Usage ==


=== Global Installation ===
Using this configuration, <code>flatpak</code> will be installed and ready to use globally for all users:
Using this configuration, <code>flatpak</code> will be installed and ready to use globally for all users:
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|<nowiki>
{{file|3=services.flatpak.enable = true;|name=/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|lang=nix}}To automatically configure a flatpak repository for all users using the global configuration file, add this to your <code>configuration.nix</code> file:{{file|3=systemd.services.flatpak-repo = {
services.flatpak.enable = true;
    wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
</nowiki>}}
    path = [ pkgs.flatpak ];
    script = ''
      flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
    '';
  };|name=/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|lang=nix}}


=== Per-User Installation ===
If you'd rather make Flatpak available to a specific user, add <code>flatpak</code> to that user's packages. To be able to install Flatpaks graphically, add the <code>gnome-software</code> package. The result will look something like this:
If you'd rather make Flatpak available to a specific user, add <code>flatpak</code> to that user's packages. To be able to install Flatpaks graphically, add the <code>gnome-software</code> package. The result will look something like this:


{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|<nowiki>
{{file|3=users.users."user" = {
  users.users."user" = {
     packages = with pkgs; [
     packages = with pkgs; [
       flatpak
       flatpak
       gnome-software
       gnome-software
     ];
     ];
   };
   };|name=/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|lang=nix}}
</nowiki>}}


=== Window Managers / Compositors Patches ===
After adding the desired solution to your configuration file, Flatpak will be installed, but it is not always added to your path directly, e.g. when you are using Sway.
After adding the desired solution to your configuration file, Flatpak will be installed, but it is not always added to your path directly, e.g. when you are using Sway.


To manually add it to the path while using the [[Greetd]] login manager and [[Sway]], create a <code>.profile</code> file with an override for your <code>XDG_DATA_DIRS</code> path, e.g.:
To manually add it to the path while using the [[Greetd]] login manager and [[Sway]], create a <code>.profile</code> file with an override for your <code>XDG_DATA_DIRS</code> path, e.g.:
{{file|.profile|nix|<nowiki>
{{file|3=export XDG_DATA_DIRS=$XDG_DATA_DIRS:/usr/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:$HOME/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share|name=.profile|lang=}}
export XDG_DATA_DIRS=$XDG_DATA_DIRS:/usr/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:$HOME/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share
</nowiki>}}
This is also required when installing <code>flatpak</code> on a per-user basis.
This is also required when installing <code>flatpak</code> on a per-user basis.


To start using flatpaks, particularly for flatpak development:
=== Flatpak Package Installation ===


<syntaxHighlight lang=console>
==== Declaratively ====
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
To install flatpak packages declaratively, you can use [https://github.com/gmodena/nix-flatpak nix-flatpak] (inspired by [https://github.com/in-a-dil-emma/declarative-flatpak declarative-flatpak])
$ flatpak update
$ flatpak search bustle
$ flatpak install flathub org.freedesktop.Bustle
$ flatpak run org.freedesktop.Bustle
</syntaxHighlight>


To automatically configure a flatpak repository for all users using the global configuration file, add this to your configuration.nix file.
==== Imperatively ====
To install flatpak packages imperatively and use them, you can use [https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/using-flatpak.html the <code>flatpak</code> CLI] ([https://docs.flatpak.org/en/latest/flatpak-command-reference.html <code>flatpak</code> CLI Reference Documentation])


{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|<nowiki>
===== Example =====
  systemd.services.flatpak-repo = {
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
    wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
$ flatpak update
    path = [ pkgs.flatpak ];
$ flatpak search Flatseal
    script = ''
$ flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal
      flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
$ flatpak run com.github.tchx84.Flatseal</syntaxhighlight>
    '';
  };
</nowiki>}}


== Development ==
== Development ==
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The following example builds a demo app of the [https://github.com/GNOME/libadwaita libadwaita] repository using <code>flatpak-builder</code>, installs it locally in the user space and runs it. First install <code>flatpak</code> and <code>flatpak-builder</code> on your system
The following example builds a demo app of the [https://github.com/GNOME/libadwaita libadwaita] repository using <code>flatpak-builder</code>, installs it locally in the user space and runs it. First install <code>flatpak</code> and <code>flatpak-builder</code> on your system


{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|<nowiki>
{{file|3=services.flatpak.enable = true;
services.flatpak.enable = true;
environment.systemPackages = [
environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.flatpak-builder ];
  pkgs.flatpak-builder
</nowiki>}}
];|name=/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|lang=nix}}


Clone, build and run the example project.
Clone, build and run the example project.


<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
<syntaxhighlight lang="console">$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists gnome-nightly https://nightly.gnome.org/gnome-nightly.flatpakrepo
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists gnome-nightly https://nightly.gnome.org/gnome-nightly.flatpakrepo
$ flatpak install gnome-nightly org.gnome.Sdk org.gnome.Platform
$ flatpak install gnome-nightly org.gnome.Sdk org.gnome.Platform
$ git clone https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libadwaita.git
$ git clone https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libadwaita.git
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$ nix shell nixpkgs#appstream
$ nix shell nixpkgs#appstream
$ flatpak-builder --disable-tests --user --install build demo/org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json
$ flatpak-builder --disable-tests --user --install build demo/org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json
$ flatpak run org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json
$ flatpak run org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json</syntaxhighlight>
</syntaxhighlight>


Note that the <code>gnome-nightly</code> repository and the <code>appstream</code> dependency are especially required for this specific project and might be different for other Flatpak projects.
Note that the <code>gnome-nightly</code> repository and the <code>appstream</code> dependency are especially required for this specific project and might be different for other Flatpak projects.
Line 79: Line 73:


=== Emulate Flatpaks of different architecture ===
=== Emulate Flatpaks of different architecture ===
It is possible to install and run Flatpaks which were compiled for a different platform. In this example we start the application ''Metronome'' as aarch64 Flatpak on a x86_64 host:<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">
It is possible to install and run Flatpaks which were compiled for a different platform. In this example we start the application ''Metronome'' as aarch64 Flatpak on a x86_64 host:<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
flatpak install --user --arch=aarch64 flathub com.adrienplazas.Metronome
$ flatpak install --user --arch=aarch64 flathub com.adrienplazas.Metronome
flatpak run --user com.adrienplazas.Metronome
$ flatpak run --user com.adrienplazas.Metronome
</syntaxhighlight>To support emulation with Qemu, [[QEMU#Run binaries of different architecture|following Binfmt configuration]] is required.
</syntaxhighlight>To support emulation with Qemu, [[QEMU#Run binaries of different architecture|following Binfmt configuration]] is required.


Revision as of 21:35, 6 August 2025

Flatpak is a Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework.

This article extends the documentation in the NixOS manual.

Usage

Global Installation

Using this configuration, flatpak will be installed and ready to use globally for all users:

❄︎ /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
services.flatpak.enable = true;

To automatically configure a flatpak repository for all users using the global configuration file, add this to your configuration.nix file:

❄︎ /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
systemd.services.flatpak-repo = {
    wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
    path = [ pkgs.flatpak ];
    script = ''
      flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
    '';
  };

Per-User Installation

If you'd rather make Flatpak available to a specific user, add flatpak to that user's packages. To be able to install Flatpaks graphically, add the gnome-software package. The result will look something like this:

❄︎ /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
users.users."user" = {
    packages = with pkgs; [
      flatpak
      gnome-software
    ];
  };

Window Managers / Compositors Patches

After adding the desired solution to your configuration file, Flatpak will be installed, but it is not always added to your path directly, e.g. when you are using Sway.

To manually add it to the path while using the Greetd login manager and Sway, create a .profile file with an override for your XDG_DATA_DIRS path, e.g.:

≡︎ .profile
export XDG_DATA_DIRS=$XDG_DATA_DIRS:/usr/share:/var/lib/flatpak/exports/share:$HOME/.local/share/flatpak/exports/share

This is also required when installing flatpak on a per-user basis.

Flatpak Package Installation

Declaratively

To install flatpak packages declaratively, you can use nix-flatpak (inspired by declarative-flatpak)

Imperatively

To install flatpak packages imperatively and use them, you can use the flatpak CLI (flatpak CLI Reference Documentation)

Example
$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
$ flatpak update
$ flatpak search Flatseal
$ flatpak install flathub com.github.tchx84.Flatseal
$ flatpak run com.github.tchx84.Flatseal

Development

Build a Flatpak project

The following example builds a demo app of the libadwaita repository using flatpak-builder, installs it locally in the user space and runs it. First install flatpak and flatpak-builder on your system

❄︎ /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
services.flatpak.enable = true;
environment.systemPackages = [
  pkgs.flatpak-builder
];

Clone, build and run the example project. 

$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists gnome-nightly https://nightly.gnome.org/gnome-nightly.flatpakrepo
$ flatpak install gnome-nightly org.gnome.Sdk org.gnome.Platform
$ git clone https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libadwaita.git
$ cd libadwaita
$ nix shell nixpkgs#appstream
$ flatpak-builder --disable-tests --user --install build demo/org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json
$ flatpak run org.gnome.Adwaita1.Demo.json

Note that the gnome-nightly repository and the appstream dependency are especially required for this specific project and might be different for other Flatpak projects.

Tips and tricks

Emulate Flatpaks of different architecture

It is possible to install and run Flatpaks which were compiled for a different platform. In this example we start the application Metronome as aarch64 Flatpak on a x86_64 host:

$ flatpak install --user --arch=aarch64 flathub com.adrienplazas.Metronome
$ flatpak run --user com.adrienplazas.Metronome

To support emulation with Qemu, following Binfmt configuration is required.

Troubleshooting

Missing themes and cursors

If you have issues with cursors or themes in general, take a look at Fonts#Flatpak_applications_can't_find_system_fonts

Retrieved from "https://wiki.nixos.org/w/index.php?title=Flatpak&oldid=23916"