Flatpak is a new system for distributing graphical applications with isolation from the host operating system. Dependencies can be bundled with applications, or shared between different applications via a "runtime". Applications can be sandboxed to have only limited access to the user's data via a system of "portals", which let the user see and control what data is being accessed.
The introduction of Flatpaks into the Fedora ecosystem will provide benefits to users including secure sandboxing of applications, reliable application upgrades without rebooting, and the ability to run versions of applications from newer or older versions of Fedora. Flatpaks will be the primary delivery mechanism for Fedora modularity on the desktop, providing the ability for applications to be updated in Fedora as new upstream versions are released, without having to coordinate dependencies across the entire distribution.
This talk is targeted at Fedora packagers. It will provide a technological overview of Flatpak, describe new features that are being added to Fedora infrastructure to support building Flatpaks, and walk through the process of creating a module and Flatpak from an existing Fedora package.
