openSUSE:Build Service AppImage builds

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AppImage builds

This page provides info on packaging applications in the AppImage format using the openSUSE Build Service.

Advantages of distributing applications as AppImages

  • Applications packaged as an AppImage can run on many distributions (including Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, elementaryOS, Linux Mint, and others)
  • One app = one file = super simple for users: just download one AppImage file, make it executable, and run
  • No unpacking or installation necessary
  • No root needed
  • No system libraries changed
  • Works out of the box, no installation of runtimes needed
  • Optional desktop integration with `appimaged`
  • Optional binary delta updates, e.g., for continuous builds (only download the binary diff) using AppImageUpdate
  • Can optionally GPG2-sign your AppImages (inside the file)
  • Works on Live ISOs
  • Can use the same AppImages when dual-booting multiple distributions

Why is using Open Build Service to generate AppImages interesting?

  • If you are already using Open Build Service, then also generating an AppImage should be straightforward
  • You can use the public openSUSE Build Service instance and use the existing infrastructure to build and distribute your AppImage (for open source projects only)
  • You can build AppImages in “automatic, consistent and reproducible way
  • OBS helps you to keep the ingredients of your AppImage up-to-date all the time using proven distribution methodologies and tools, relieving the person or group providing AppImages from manual work as discussed here
  • OBS automatically builds a new AppImage for you if one if its ingredients is updated on OBS
  • OBS automatically signs AppImages using the user’s key on OBS
  • OBS automatically embeds update information into AppImages to enable binary delta updates using AppImageUpdate. This means that if in a 100 MB AppImage only 1 MB changed between versions, then the user has to download only 1 MB rather than 100 MB

How to build AppImages on OBS

OBS has support for building AppImages, either from source or from existing RPM packages built on OBS. Please refer to this page in the AppImage documentation for instructions on how to use this.

AppImage documentation

Some useful links to AppImage documentation:

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