How To Create A PPA Repository To Distribute Your Applications?

PPA Repository : One of the great advantages that Linux distributions offer us, regardless of which one, are the repositories . In this article, I am going to explain how to create a repository in Launchpad , so that you can safely distribute your applications among their users.

If you don’t know what a repository is, tell you what a package store is. This repository can be local or remote. The most interesting are the public remote repositories. It is what comes to be an application store in other operating systems. On the other hand, a package is a set of files that will be installed on your computer.

The packages do not have to be applications, they can be from a theme, to a set of icons, or simply documentation. A package is nothing more than files.

What do repositories give us? Security . If you develop an application, for example, and upload it to a public repository, it will be available to everyone. If at any given time someone reports a bug, you fix it and push it to the repository, that update will be available to all users again. Thus, when a user updates the system, this update will appear, so that he can update and solve the problem.

Likewise, if you create an icon pack, for example, you can upload it to a repository on Launchpad . In this way, any user can install it on their computer. Now, if you create a new version of the icons, you can upload it to the repository. By uploading it to the repository, that update will be available to users. In this way, all users will have the latest versions of your icon packs, themes, applications, etc. But in addition, all this has intrinsic security , since only you can upload packages to the repository.

Create A Repository In Launchpad

What Is LAUNCHPAD?

Launchpad is a collaborative software platform that provides developers with a whole series of tools that facilitate the development of software projects , including the option to create a repository. The implementation and production of applications, themes, packages, etc.

Among other tools, this platform provides us with the following,

• Bug Tracking – The bug tracking and reporting system is really easy for both developers and users.
• GitHub -style code hosting . Initially, it used bazaar as its version control system, but has recently incorporated git as well . Precisely, it was that moment in which bazaar was maintained as version control, which motivated me to switch to GitHub. Although taking advantage of the fact that both systems are now supported, I am sharing both repositories to take advantage of all the advantages that Launchpad offers.
• Translation system. Launchpad has implemented a system to help with translation. It is really simple to use, and greatly facilitates translation . The truth is that it is a very simple system, even for making your own translations.
• They also have a system for proposing ideas for projects . In this way, any user can at any time make a contribution in idea mode to a given project. Imagine the range of possibilities it offers, both to developers and users. This in the case, for example, of an icon pack project, can lead you to propose icons for a certain application, or to create a set of icons of another color, or whatever.
• Just as it has a proposal system , it also has a system to resolve issues related to the project itself. For example, if it is an application, you can ask how a certain feature works, or how to do a certain action. In the same way, in case your project is a set of icons, users can ask you what a certain icon means.
• Finally, another of the features that Launchpad offers us is the hosting of personal repositories , that is, creating a repository. That is, repositories that you have created yourself, to house one or several packages, so that they can be used by any other user. Thus, a user who wants to install that package that you have created and have it updated, will only have to add the repository.

Create A Repository In Launchpad Step By Step

I will start from the case that you are not a Launchpad user , and I will guide you through the different steps to perform until you have created your own repository. Starting from creating your user.

Ubuntu One

Ubuntu One was initially born as a cloud hosting service. It was about integrating the desktop environment of the Ubuntu distribution with a cloud service, so that we could have everything synchronized.

In mid-2014 Canonical announced that it was leaving this hosting service.

Now Ubuntu One has become an interesting authentication system, a single account system . It is about using a single account to access different services.

Almost certainly, you will have done this system with other accounts such as Google , Facebook or Twitter .

Create An Account In Ubuntu One

The first thing we have to do is create our Ubuntu One account , to do this go to the Ubuntu One registration page , provide your information, and confirm that information once you receive the email. It is also interesting to confirm your email.

Complete Your Launchpad Account

Once you have created your Ubuntu One account, the next thing is to complete the Launchpad account . For that you will have to go to Launchpad and access it by clicking on Log in/Register , which is located at the top right of the page, using your newly created Ubuntu One account.

Once registered in Launchpad , click on your username, which is again at the top right of the page. Once inside your user, you will see something like what is in the following screenshot, In this screen we can change,

• Our user details by clicking Change details. This allows us to modify the name of the user that is shown on the screen, the nickname and our image.
• The icons that define our user, for which we must click on Change branding .
• Password

But above all, the most important thing and that we will use later to upload our packages to our repositories is to create the SSH keys.

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