APM Package Manager

The decentralized package manager.
Universal and sandboxed Linux apps for your favorite distribution.

~
$

Install APM CLI

curl -fsSL https://apmcli.com/install | bash

Verified sources via DNS

Packages are published and verified through DNS. Every APM package is tied to a verified domain, so you always know where your software comes from.

No gatekeepers

There is no central app store controlling what gets published. Developers host their own packages and you download directly from the source, with no middlemen or approval process.

Free and open source

APM is open source software licensed under the MIT License. Inspect the code, contribute, or fork it. Your package manager should be yours.

.apm

What is APM?

APM is a secure, sandboxed packaging format for Linux. Install apps that run safely on any distribution without configuration.

  • Universal compatibility Runs on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Debian and more, without distro-specific packaging
  • Sandboxed Every app runs isolated using Sydbox, keeping your system safe by default
  • Self-contained Each app bundles its own dependencies, with a content-addressed store that deduplicates shared libraries to save disk space
  • Decentralized Apps are downloaded directly from the developer, with decentralized discovery through APM Network

Publish your app

Distribute your software to every Linux distribution with a single package. Create a manifest, bundle your app, and host it on your own domain. No app store submission, no approval process.

Get started

Frequently Asked Questions

Why a new format when Flatpak, Snap and AppImage exist?

APM combines the best parts of AppImage, Flatpak and Nix. Like AppImage, each package bundles its own dependencies so it works on any distribution out of the box. But unlike AppImage, APM doesn't waste disk space.

Inspired by Nix, all bundled libraries are stored in a content-addressed store (CAS) at install time that automatically deduplicates files shared across applications. You get the portability of AppImage with the disk efficiency of a shared runtime, plus built-in sandboxing, without the complexity of Nix.

What is the content-addressed store?

Every file in an APM package is stored by its content hash. When two applications ship the same library, it is only stored once on disk. This means you get the reliability of fully bundled apps (no missing dependencies, no version conflicts) without the disk bloat that normally comes with it.

Why bundle dependencies instead of using system libraries?

Relying on system libraries means every distribution and version needs separate testing, and updates to the host system can break applications. By bundling dependencies, developers ship exactly the environment their app was built against. The content-addressed store ensures this doesn't come at the cost of disk space.

How does APM Network connect developers and users?

APM Network is a WebSub hub where developers can publish notifications when new versions of their apps are released. App stores and other services can subscribe to these notifications to keep their metadata up to date.

APM Package Manager uses APM Network to build its own index of available packages. This decentralizes APM distribution so that no single entity controls how packages are discovered or delivered, and makes it easier for users to find apps through a growing ecosystem of independent storefronts.