--- title: Perfectly Formed Snaps Challenge description: Summer is here (sorry Southern hemisphere), and with the World Cup and Wimbledon over, it’s time for a new challenge! Background Snaps are universal Linux software packages. That means they can work anywhere, and contain anything. Whether you’re a Pythonista, a Golang developer or if C++ is your bag, Snapcraft can package your software as […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/small-perfectly-formed-snaps?format=md --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Alan Pope](https://canonical.com/blog/author/popey "More about Alan Pope") 18 July 2018 # Perfectly Formed Snaps Challenge [Server](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/server) [Snap](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/snap) [snapcraft](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/snapcraft) [snapcraft.io](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/snapcraft-io) [Ubuntu Desktop](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu-desktop) --- Share the article Summer is here (sorry Southern hemisphere), and with the World Cup and Wimbledon over, it’s time for a new challenge! ## Background [Snaps](https://snapcraft.io/) are universal Linux software packages. That means they can work anywhere, and contain anything. Whether you’re a Pythonista, a Golang developer or if C++ is your bag, Snapcraft can package your software as a snap. Recently we’ve seen leading developers such as [Spotify,](https://snapcraft.io/spotify) [Microsoft](https://snapcraft.io/skype) and [Slack](https://snapcraft.io/slack) deliver their flagship applications on Linux as snaps. These snaps ship with all necessary libraries and assets required to run on any modern Linux distribution. ## Small-Scale Snaps Snaps are perfect for the smaller things in life too. Looking away from the graphical flagship apps, the [snap store](https://snapcraft.io/store/) hosts lightweight server daemons, command line utilities, developer tools and even tiny games. Recently, a couple of petite snaps were published in the store. [Sparky](https://snapcraft.io/sparky) is a simple game played in a terminal, and a modest 32KB on disk. [Bash-Shell-RPG](https://snapcraft.io/bash-shell-rpg) is similarly diminutive at only 8KB. Neither contain an excess of additional libraries, just the absolute minimum needed to function everywhere. ## The Challenge This got us wondering just how much it’s possible to pack in a snap, so we kicked off a [challenge](https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/smallest-functioning-snap-challenge/6415?u=popey) over on the [snapcraft forums](https://forum.snapcraft.io/). Create as small a snap as possible, containing something fun, functional or interesting. Preferably something new that you’ve created. We all know the demo scene are able to code amazing things in small spaces, but we’re not looking to snap all of [pouet.net](http://www.pouet.net/). Also, we’re not after a hundred more ‘hello world’ apps. We’re sure you can come up with something more compelling. The goal of the challenge is to get new, interesting and fun things available to Linux users as snaps, but in the smallest, tightest package possible. It could be a script or handy utility you’ve developed, or a fully-fledged application. There’s no hard size limit or requirements, but consider a 1.44MB floppy disk as a soft size guideline. Go larger or smaller though, it’s up to you. For those who haven’t created snaps before, we recommend consulting the [documentation](https://docs.snapcraft.io/build-snaps/). Perhaps take a look at the `snapcraft.yaml` for [Sparky](https://github.com/Lestibournes/Sparky/blob/master/snap/snapcraft.yaml) and [Bash-Shell-RPG](https://github.com/raulojeda22/Bash-Shell-RPG/blob/master/snap/snapcraft.yaml) to get an idea for how simple they can be. If you’re a developer and have some time over the summer, we’d love to see what you come up with There’s no prize other than your sense of achievement and the wonder from your peers! Build your snap, [register](https://docs.snapcraft.io/build-snaps/register-snap) an account in the store, [publish](https://docs.snapcraft.io/build-snaps/publish) your snap, and [share](https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/smallest-functioning-snap-challenge/6415?u=popey) your creation on the forum. Lacking inspiration? Take a look through the expansive [snapcraft wishlist](https://forum.snapcraft.io/t/snap-wishlist-suggestions-wanted/567?u=popey) to see what other users are asking for! We’re looking forward to seeing what pocket-sized snaps you come up with! ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. By submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/dataprivacy). 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