Today at 10:30 AM

Flatpak 1.17 introduces key improvements to this Linux application sandboxing and distribution framework. This release extends sandbox flexibility by allowing directories to be forwarded to sandboxed applications through command-line arguments, streamlining workflows for advanced users. Building on integration features, Flatpak apps considered part of the operating system can now be preinstalled by dropping files into preinstall.d directories, which is useful for system integrators and OS vendors.

Expanding distribution capabilities, this version adds support for direct installation from Open Container Initiative (OCI) images, sideloading from OCI repositories and archives, and enables OCI remotes to have collection IDs usable with Flatpak preinstall. Following these, Flatpak 1.17 brings support for flatpak+https:// URIs in install commands, conditional permissions, host-root export to expose the host root directory in the sandbox, and the VA-API extension for Intel Xe GPUs.

Addressing usability, this update introduces JSON output for many commands and user feedback messages when flatpak document-list or flatpak uninstall finds no documents or apps. A new option for flatpak run clears host environment variables, bolstering application isolation. Additional changes improve repository analytics, build isolation, bundle reinstall support, AppStream metadata export, and relocate the default D-Bus configuration from /etc to /usr. This version also includes documentation improvements, updated translations, and several bug fixes.

Today by Paul