"AM" (ie "Application Manager") is a bash script able to install, update and remove thousands of standalone programs (any AppImage package, but also the official versions of Firefox, Thunderbird, Brave, Blender and hundreds of other programs provided on their official sites).

"AM" applies system-wide programs integration (for all users), i.e. installs programs in the /opt directory (see Linux Standard Base), the launchers instead are installed in /usr/share/applications with the "AM-" suffix and the links are placed in /usr/local/bin or /usr/local/games.

Being "AM" a bash-based script, it can be used on all the architectures supported by the Linux kernel and works with all the GNU/Linux distributions.

This repository contains "AM" and the full database of the installation scripts for the applications.

To see the whole catalog of the apps available, visit portable-linux-apps.github.io

For a version of "AM" that works locally and installs/removes the same programs without root privileges, see AppMan.

Introducing "AM"

• Differences between "AM" and "AppMan"
• What programs can be installed
• How to update all programs, for real
• Repository and Multiarchitecture
• Comparison with other AppImage managers

Installation

Usage

Features

• How to enable bash completion
• Snapshots: backup your app and restore to a previous version
• Install/update/remove programs without "AM"

Create your own script

• Helpers

Uninstall

Known issues

Related projects

Conclusions

AM is an application manager for AppImages and other standalone programs for GNU/Linux with multi-architecture support. The "am" command is very easy to use and can manage a better control of automatic updates for all the programs installed.

The main goal of this tool is to provide the same updated applications to multiple GNU/Linux distributions without having to change the package manager or the distro itself. This means that whatever distro you use, you will not miss your favorite programs or the need for a more updated version.

"AM" also aims to be a merger for GNU/Linux distributions, using not just AppImage as the main package format, but also other standalone programs, so without having to risk breaking anything on your system: no daemons, no shared libraries. Just your program!

"AM" and "AppMan" are two command line tools that can download, install, update, remove and save AppImage and other standalone applications trying to always get the original versions from the main sources, and where necessary, try to create AppImage using pkg2appimage and appimagetool. Since March 2022 "AM" provides its source code as the base for the newer releases of AppMan, making it a version of "AM" that allows you to install programs locally instead.

Where $PROGRAM is the application we're going to install:

• "AM" (ie the am command, provided by this main repository) installs programs and works at system level (i.e. for all the users). "AM" requires the sudo privileges but only to install and remove the app, all the other commands can be executed as a normal user. This allows multiple users of the same system to be able to use the same installed applications. This is what an installation script installs with "AM":

  /opt/$PROGRAM/
  /opt/$PROGRAM/$PROGRAM
  /opt/$PROGRAM/AM-updater
  /opt/$PROGRAM/remove
  /opt/$PROGRAM/icons/$ICON-NAME
  /usr/local/bin/$PROGRAM
  /usr/share/applications/AM-$PROGRAM.desktop
  

• "AppMan" (ie the appman command, available at github.com/ivan-hc/AppMan) instead does not need root privileges to work, it allows you to choose where to install your applications into your $HOME directory. AppMan is also usable as a portable app (i.e. you can download and place it wherever you want) and it is able to ubdate itself, anywhere! At first start it will ask you where to install the apps and it will create the directory for you (the configuration file is in ~/.config/appman). For example, suppose you want install everything in "Applicazioni" (the italian of "applications"), this is the structure of what an installation scripts installs with "AppMan" instead:

  ~/Applicazioni/$PROGRAM/
  ~/Applicazioni/$PROGRAM/$PROGRAM
  ~/Applicazioni/$PROGRAM/AM-updater
  ~/Applicazioni/$PROGRAM/remove
  ~/Applicazioni/$PROGRAM/icons/$ICON-NAME
  ~/.local/bin/$PROGRAM
  ~/.local/share/applications/AM-$PROGRAM.desktop
  

For everything else, the controls and operation are always the same for both command line tools. The only thing that changes is that the installation scripts are written only for "AM", while "AppMan" uses the same scripts and includes commands that can modify them to make them work locally during the installation process.

More details about AppMan on the official repository, at https://github.com/ivan-hc/AppMan

AM installs/removes/updates/manages only standalone programs, ie those programs that can be run from a single directory in which they are contained (where $PROGRAM is the name of the application, AM installs them always into a dedicated folder named /opt/$PROGRAM).

These programs are taken:

• from official sources (see Firefox, Thunderbird, Blender, NodeJS, Chromium Latest...);
• from official .deb packages (see Brave, Vivaldi, Google Chrome...);
• from the repositories and official sites of individual developers (if an archive is not available, an official AppImage is used, see Libreoffice, OnlyOffice);
• from tar archives of other GNU/Linux distributions (see Chromium, Chromium Ungoogled...);
• from AUR or other Arch Linux-related sources (see Palemoon, Spotify, WhatsApp...);
• from AppImage recipes to be compiled with pkg2appimage and appimagetool (see Anydesk, qBittorrent, Dropbox, all the games from the "KDE Games" suite...);
• from unofficial repositories of developers external to the project concerned (most of the time they are programs in AppImage format), but only if an official release is not available (see the various WINE, Zoom, VLC, GIMP...).

"AM" can even create Firefox profiles to run as webapps (as an alternative to the countless Electron-based apps/AppImages)!

You can consult basic information, links to sites and sources used through the related am -a $PROGRAM command or by clicking here.

To update all the programs, just run the command (without sudo):

am -U

To update just one program (and to read the output from the shell):

am -u $PROGRAM

Here are the ways in which the updates will be made:

• Updateable AppImages can rely on an appimageupdatetool-based "updater" or on their external zsync file (if provided by the developer);
• Non-updateable AppImages and other standalone programs will be replaced only with a more recent version if available, this will be taken by comparing the installed version with the one available on the source (using "curl", "grep" and "cat"), the same is for some AppImages created with pkg2appimage and appimagetool;
• Fixed versions will be listed with their build number (e.g. $PROGRAM-1.1.1). Note that most of the programs are updateable, so fixed versions will only be added upon request (or if it is really difficult to find a right wget/curl command to download the latest version).

During the first installation, the main user ($currentuser) will take the necessary permissions on each /opt/$PROGRAM directory, in this way all updates will be automatic and without root permissions.

Each program is installed through a dedicated script, and all these scripts are listed in the "repository" and divided by architecture. NOTE that currently my work focuses on applications for x86_64 architecture, but it is possible to extend "AM" to all other available architectures.

Click on the link of your architecture to see the list of all the apps available on this repository:

• x86_64
• i686
• aarch64

If you are interested, you can deliberately join this project.

• There are many other AppImage managers around, and almost all of them support their database on appimagehub or other official AppImage resources, but the big problem is at the base of the compilation of these packages, being very often without an integrated update system. Furthermore, AppImage is a format that many developers are abandoning in favor of Flatpak, also because there were no centralized repositories or software that managed its updates in a universal way... at least until the invention of the first draft of AppMan, and therefore of its successor, "AM";
• With "AM" each installed program has its own script (AM-updater) that compares the installed version with the one available in the sources or uses official tools to update the AppImages (see above), there is support for multiple architectures (including i686 and aarch64) and anyone can create a script to install that particular program (if available for its architecture).

To install "AM" quickly, just copy/paste the following command:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ivan-hc/APPLICATION-MANAGER/main/INSTALL && chmod a+x ./INSTALL && sudo ./INSTALL

Or use "GIT":

git clone https://github.com/ivan-hc/AM-application-manager.git
cd AM-application-manager
chmod a+x INSTALL
sudo ./INSTALL

In both cases, the "INSTALL" script will create a dedicated /opt/am directory containing the "APP-MANAGER" script (ie "AM" itself), a symlink for it in /usr/local/bin named am and the /opt/am/remove script needed to uninstall "AM" itself, if needed. A temporary folder named /opt/am/.cache will be created too, in wich each installation script or list of available applications (for your architecture) is downloaded.

-a, about Shows the basic information, links and source of each app:

am -a $PROGRAM

-b, backup Save the current version of a program you are interested in, the snapshot will be stored in /home/$USER/.am-snapshots/$PROGRAM (see "-o"):

am -b $PROGRAM

-c, clean Removes all the unnecessary files:

am -c

-d, download Download an installation script from the "AM" repository to your desktop without installing it:

am -d $PROGRAM

-f, files Shows the installed programs managed by "AM":

am -f

-h, help Prints this message:

am -h

-H, --home Setting $HOME to /opt/$PROGRAM/$PROGRAM.home, this command only works if $PROGRAM is an AppImage package:

am --home $PROGRAM

-i, install Install a program. This will be downloader/created into a dedicated /opt/$PROGRAM directory (containing a script to remove it and another one to update it), the command is linked to a $PATH and a launcher AM-$PROGRAM.desktop will be created in /usr/share/applications:

[sudo] am -i $PROGRAM

-l, list Shows the list of apps available in the repository:

am -l

-o, overwrite Overwrite the existing version of the program with a saved snapshot from /home/$USER/.am-snapshots/$PROGRAM (see "-b"):

am -o $PROGRAM

-q, query Use one or more keywords to search for in the list of available applications:

am -q $KEYWORD

-r, remove Removes the program and all the other files listed above using the instructions in /opt/$PROGRAM/remove. Confirmation is required (Y or N, default is Y):

[sudo] am -r $PROGRAM

-R Removes the program and all the other files listed above using the instructions in /opt/$PROGRAM/remove, without asking:

[sudo] am -R

-s, sync Updates "AM" to a more recent version:

am -s

-t, template This option allows you to generate a custom script from a list of different templates that may be vary according to the kind of $PROGRAM you want to create/install/update. Once you choose a number, the script will download the template by renaming it using the argument "$PROGRAM" you provided above:

am -t $PROGRAM

-u, -U, update Update all the installed programs:

am -u

To update just one program:

am -u $PROGRAM

-v, --version, version Shows the version of "AM":

am -v

-w, web Shows the URLs of the sites/sources of $PROGRAM:

am -w $PROGRAM

--disable-completion Removes the /etc/bash_completion.d/am-completion.sh script previously created with the "[sudo] am --enable-completion" command:

[sudo] am --disable-completion  

--enable-completion Create a bash completion script in /etc/bash_completion.d to complete a keyword with the TAB key using the names of all installable applications in the "AM" repository:

[sudo] am --enable-completion

lock Lock the selected $PROGRAM to the current installed version, this only works if a dedicated "AM-updater" script exists:

am lock $PROGRAM

unlock Unlock updates for the selected $PROGRAM. This option nulls "lock", the update file is renamed as "AM-updater" again, so that it can be intercepted when executing the "am -u" command (see "-u"):

am unlock $PROGRAM

Since 2.3.1 release "AM" has its inbuilt bash completion script that can be enabled using the following command:

am --enable-completion

This will ceate a bash completion script in /etc/bash_completion.d named am-completion.sh needed to complete a keyword with the TAB key using the names of all the main options and the name of the scripts of all the applications available in the "AM" repository. To disable bash completion (and to remove the /etc/bash_completion.d/am-completion.sh script):

am --disable-completion

Here you are a video on how to disable/enable bash completion in "AM":

A more detailed guide on how to create your own bash completion script for your project is available here.

Since 2.6.1 release, "AM" supports snapshots of all installed applications. A selected program can be copied locally into your home folder.

Here you are a video on how to backup/restore works in "AM":

• option -b or backup creates the snapshot, usage:

  am -b $PROGRAM
  

• option -o or overwrite allows you to roll back to a previous version of the program. Usage:

  am -o $PROGRAM
  

All the snapshots are stored into an hidden /home/$USER/.am-snapshots folder containing other subfolders, each one has the name of the programs you've done a backup before. Each snapshot is named with the date and time you have done the backup. To restore the application to a previous version, copy/paste the name of the snapshot when the -o option will prompt it.

"AM" focuses a lot on the autonomy of its programs, so much that you can install, update and remove them without necessarily having "AM" installed on your system.

• To install a program without "am", replace "SAMPLE" at the line 2 with the name of the program you want to install:

  ARCH=$(uname -m)
  PROGRAM=SAMPLE
  wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ivan-hc/AM-application-manager/main/programs/$ARCH/$PROGRAM
  chmod a+x ./$PROGRAM
  sudo ./$PROGRAM
  

• To update a program without "am" instead, just run:

  /opt/$PROGRAM/AM-updater
  

Note that this works only if the program has a /opt/$PROGRAM/AM-updater script, other programs like Firefox and Thunderbird are auto-updatable.

• To uninstall a program without "am":

  sudo /opt/$PROGRAM/remove
  

"AM" has a -t option (or template) with which you can get a script to customize according to your needs. With this option, you can quickly create scripts to download existing programs or even create AppImage or AppDir through tools such as appimagetool and pkg2appimage.

The following video shows how to create and test an AppImage of "Abiword" from Debian Unstable repository with a custom AppRun (option 5):

The currently available templates are stored here, more will be added with the next versions of "AM".

A wiki is also available, here I will try to explain the installation script's workflow for a program to be better managed by "AM", trying to use a language that is as simple and elementary as possible.

Each script is written exclusively for "AM" (and is structured in such a way that even "AppMan", the non-root version of "AM", can modify it to manage programs locally).

We can divide the stages of an installation's process as follows:

• Step 1: create the main directory in /opt, as already suggested by the Linux Standard Base (LSB);
• Step 2: create the "remove" script, needed to uninstall averything (this must be the first one to be created, in order to quickly resolve any aborted/brocken installations using the -r option);
• Step 3: download the program and/or compile the program (this operation varies depending on how the program is distributed);
• Step 4: link to a $PATH (usually /usr/local/bin, but also /usr/bin, /usr/games or /usr/local/games);
• Step 5: the "AM updater" script, which is a kind of "copy" of step "3" (see above) that may include options to recognize newer versions of the program. NOTE that if you intend to create a script for the fixed version of a program, you can also skip this step;
• Step 6: launchers and icons. Note that if you intend to create a script for a command line utility, you can also skip this step;
• Step 7: change the permissions in the program folder, so you can use the update function (step 5) without using "sudo" privileges
• Step 8 (optional): your signature

The most difficult step to overcome is certainly the number "3", given the great variety of methods in which authors distribute their software, while all the other steps are much easier to overcome.

To uninstall "AM" just run the command:

am -r am

"AM" itself works well, but there are a few things to consider before, after and during use:

• The "AM" scripts use the basic commands usually found in any GNU / Linux distribution (wget, curl, grep, egrep, find, rm, mkdir, mv, ls, echo...), make sure you have them before performing any operation;
• The task of "AM" is solely to install / remove / update the applications managed by it. Problems related to the failure of an installed program or any related bugs are attributable solely to its developers. You can view the link to each project's repository or official site via the "am -a $PROGRAM" command;
• The developer of AM has compiled the application installation scripts based on any links made publicly available by the owners of the affected software (or from official repositories of other progressive release distributions, for example Debian Unstable, Arch Linux, Slackware ...) . These urls (with particular reference to the official ones of the developers) may not work in the future if the developers decide to modify the site, the tags, the repository or any detail that the script refers to to install / update the application. In this case, please report the problem to the "AM" team who will modify or (in the worst case) remove the installation script until the problem is resolved;
• "AM" is an open source project, you can read and compile the scripts to your liking, as long as they don't damage your system. All scripts have been tested on Debian Testing / Unstable (64 bit) and Debian 11 (32 bit) and should work on any GNU / Linux distribution, regardless of the initialization process (with or without systemd).

• appimagetool
• appimageupdatetool
• libunionpreload
• pkg2appimage
• pkg2appimage-32bit (fork)

• AppMan, a clone of "AM" that works in the user's $HOME instead;
• AppImaGen, a script that generates AppImages from Debian or from a PPA for the previous Ubuntu LTS;
• Firefox for Linux scripts, easily install the official releases of Firefox for Linux;

Having encouraged you to visit this page is already a huge achievement for me, being this my second creation after AppMan. This project is much more demanding than AppMan, as each individual program requires a different script to check the version of the installed program and compare it to the source link, so each individual program can take hours of testing before being published in the repository, and between my real job and other family commitments, I try to carve up some free time for this project.

If you wish, you can support me, this work and my passion with a small donation, I will gladly appreciate it. Thank you.