Updates, Apt versus Snap versus Flatpak

Question: How can I Tell What Needs Updating Outside of APT (Ubuntu) #

Answer #

Written 100% by ChatGPT

This guide explains how to identify software on your Ubuntu system that does not get updated by apt, and how to check updates for each category.

1. APT-managed software (baseline) #

sudo apt update
apt list --upgradable

Anything listed here is handled by APT and updated with:

sudo apt upgrade

If something is not listed, it is managed elsewhere.

2. Snap-managed software #

Snaps are very common on modern Ubuntu and are not updated by APT.

List installed snaps #

snap list

Show pending snap updates #

snap refresh --list

Force snap updates #

sudo snap refresh

Executables under /snap/bin are snap-managed.

Examples:

• Chromium
• Firefox (on newer Ubuntu)
• VS Code
• Slack

3. Flatpak-managed software #

If Flatpak is installed, it is another parallel update system.

List Flatpak apps #

flatpak list

Update Flatpak apps #

flatpak update

APT has no visibility into Flatpak apps.

4. AppImage programs #

AppImages are completely unmanaged.

How to find them:

find ~ /opt -iname "*.AppImage" 2>/dev/null

Updating usually means:

• Downloading a new AppImage
• Or using appimageupdate (if supported)

5. Manually installed software #

Check common manual install locations:

ls /opt
ls /usr/local/bin

Anything here is outside APT control.

6. Language-specific package managers #

These maintain their own ecosystems.

Python #

pip list --outdated
pipx list

Node.js #

npm -g outdated

Rust #

cargo install --list

Ruby #

gem outdated

APT does not manage any of these.

7. Firmware updates (fwupd) #

Firmware updates are handled separately:

fwupdmgr get-updates

This may include:

• BIOS / UEFI
• SSD firmware
• Thunderbolt controllers

8. Self-updating applications #

Some applications update themselves:

• Google Chrome
• Zoom
• Dropbox
• Steam

Check background update timers:

systemctl list-timers

9. Identify where programs come from #

which chromium firefox code slack docker python node

Interpretation:

• /usr/bin → likely APT
• /snap/bin → Snap
• /usr/local/bin → manual
• Other paths → investigate

Mental Model #

Think in layers:

Recommended maintenance routine #

apt list --upgradable
snap refresh --list
flatpak update
fwupdmgr get-updates

Stick to one or two ecosystems where possible to reduce update complexity.

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