How to use graphics in `base: core24` snaps¶

This document describes how to use the gpu-2404 Snap interface, what are the requirements to create a content provider snap as well as discusses the design of the interface.

The basics¶

Snaps are software packages that are meant to bring all of their dependencies along. But to support graphical applications, userspace drivers matching the hardware used, and sometimes the kernel, are necessary. What’s more, those drivers on some systems are not available as open source, or even at all - outside of commercial engagements. This makes it impractical, or even impossible, to have application snaps ship drivers supporting the breadth of graphics hardware available.

The long-term solution is for SnapD (the daemon managing snaps on your system) to have explicit support for this, and other hardware-specific pieces of software (kernel modules, firmware, udev rules etc.). While this is being worked on, we’ve designed a content interface that allows application snaps to use the graphics hardware by providing the userspace drivers and environment in a content snap.

This interface is an evolution of the {ref}``graphics-core22 interface <the-graphics-core22-snap-interface> - if your application uses base: core22, you’ll need to rely on that, or move to the newer base. It was renamed to signify that all GPU functions, and not only graphics, are in scope; and that it’s not only applicable to Ubuntu Core installations.

Consuming the interface¶

This section explains how graphical application snaps can consume this interface to enable graphics acceleration. We maintain a set of helpers that are the easiest to use, but if you have specific reasons, we also detail how to consume the provided userspace in your application snap.

Using the helpers provided¶

The simplest way to enable your snap to consume the interface are the helpers we maintain in the gpu-snap repository.

There’s just a few things you have to do in your snap/snapcraft.yaml to make use of it:

:warning: A lot of these parts doesn’t need to be done when you’re using the following extensions:

gnome

kde-neon-6

kde-neon-qt6

Except step 4, these extensions will set up all the other steps for your snap. You can check that out using this command:
snapcraft expand-extensions
Please checkout the code for your specific extension here

plug the gpu-2404 interface (the wrapper assumes it’s put under $SNAP/gpu-2404):

plugs:
  gpu-2404:
    interface: content
    target: $SNAP/gpu-2404
    default-provider: mesa-2404

If your app needs X11 support, lay out these paths in your snap:

  /usr/share/X11/XErrorDB:
    symlink: $SNAP/gpu-2404/X11/XErrorDB

use bin/gpu-2404-wrapper in your command-chains:

apps:
  my-app:
    command-chain:
    - bin/gpu-2404-wrapper
    command: my-app

use bin/gpu-2404-cleanup after priming any staged packages to avoid shipping any libraries already provided by the gpu-2404 providers:

parts:
  my-app:
    stage-packages:
  # ...

  gpu-2404:
    after: [my-app]
    source: https://github.com/canonical/gpu-snap.git
    plugin: dump
    override-prime: |
      craftctl default
      ${CRAFT_PART_SRC}/bin/gpu-2404-cleanup mesa-2404
    prime:
    - bin/gpu-2404-wrapper

You can override $CRAFT_PRIME if you have Mesa primed in a different location:

    override-prime: |
      craftctl default
      CRAFT_PRIME=${CRAFT_PRIME}/custom/prefix \
        ${CRAFT_PART_SRC}/bin/gpu-2404-cleanup mesa-2404

Your snap, when installed, will pull in the default mesa-2404 provider, which supports a wide range of hardware. It also supports Nvidia drivers installed on your host system.

Migrating from `graphics-core20`¶

If your snap currently uses the graphics-core20 interface, here are the steps when you’re migrating to base: core24:

replace all references to graphics-core20 with gpu-2404
replace all references to mesa-core20 with mesa-2404
change the target of the content interface to $SNAP/gpu-2404
remove all environment variables / paths pointing at graphics paths (the wrapper takes care of these):
```
LD_LIBRARY_PATH
LIBGL_DRIVERS_PATH
LIBVA_DRIVERS_PATH
__EGL_VENDOR_LIBRARY_DIRS
```
prepend bin/gpu-2404-wrapper to your apps’ command-chain:
add the X11 layouts, if your app needs them
replace the cleanup part with gpu-2404 above

Migrating from `graphics-core22`¶

If your snap currently uses the graphics-2404 interface, here are the steps when you’re migrating to base: core24:

replace all references to graphics-2404 with gpu-2404
replace all references to mesa-2404 with mesa-2404
change the target of the content interface to $SNAP/gpu-2404
remove all the layouts - except for the X11 ones, if your app needs them

Going the manual route¶

If, for whatever reason, you don’t want to use the helpers, here is a description of the steps you should perform in your snap:

connect the gpu-2404, see above.
lay out the paths, see above.
wrap your apps with <target>/bin/gpu-2404-provider-wrapper. This script, coming from the provider side, is what sets up all the environment - paths to the libraries, drivers and any supporting files.
remove any libraries that are provided by the content providers (see below for a list). If you need to provide your own versions of any of those, you need to make sure they are ABI-compatible with Ubuntu 24.04.

Creating a provider snap¶

The requirements for a snap providing the content are purposefully quite simple:

include a bin/gpu-2404-provider-wrapper that sets up all the environment and executes the provided arguments, usually:
```
#!/bin/sh

export VAR=value

exec "$@"
```
it should support (include, in Ubuntu 24.04 ABI-compatible versions, and ensure the application can find them) as many of the supported API libraries (and their dependencies) as possible/applicable
if your provider supports X11:
- provide the X11/XErrorDB content source with the appropriate assets
optionally, if there are Mir-specific workarounds required:
- provide the mir-quirks content source, with any options needed.

The rest is left to the author of the provider snap. The default provider - mesa-2404 - is a good reference.

Multi-architecture providers¶

In some cases, it may be desirable to include libraries for more than one architecture. The main use case would be supporting software for legacy architectures running on newer hardware that supports the legacy architecture (e.g. i386 on amd64, armhf on arm64). The default mesa-2404 implements that for the amd64 architecture.

The requirements remain as above - your wrapper needs to extend the environment for the additional architecture supported.

Testing your provider snap¶

The graphics-test-tools set of utilities will help you determine how well your provider works. Install and connect it to your provider and run to see what is supported and how well:

$ sudo snap install graphics-test-tools --channel 24/stable
graphics-test-tools (24/stable) 24.04 from Canonical✓ installed
$ sudo snap connect graphics-test-tools:gpu-2404 <your-snap>:gpu-2404
$ graphics-test-tools.drm-info
# ...
$ graphics-test-tools.eglinfo
# ...

Refer to the documentation of the individual tools to see what the results mean.

Lists¶

Supported APIs¶

graphics
- GL (libGL.so.1)
- EGL (libEGL.so.1)
- GLESv1 (libGLESv1_CM.so.1)
- GLESv2 (libGLESv2.so.2)
- DRM (libdrm.so.2)
- Vulkan (libvulkan.so.1)
- GBM (libgbm.so.1)
video acceleration
- VA-API (libva.so.2)
  - libva-drm.so.2
  - libva-glx.so.2
  - libva-x11.so.2
  - libva-wayland.so.2
- VDPAU (libvdpau.so.1)
X11 support
- libglx0
- libx11-6
- libx11-xcb1
- libxcb-dri2-0
- libxcb-dri3-0
- libxcb-glx0,
- libxcb-present0
- libxcb-shm0
- libxcb-sync1
- libxcb-xfixes0
- libxcb1
- libxext6
- libxfixes3
- libxshmfence1
- libxxf86vm1
Wayland support
- libwayland-client0
- libwayland-cursor0
- libwayland-egl1
- libwayland-server0

Libraries shipped¶

The lists of files shipped by a selection of snaps is maintained in the gpu-snap repository here:

https://github.com/canonical/gpu-snap/tree/main/lists

The cleanup wrapper above uses that to prune the application snap from things it will receive through the content interface.

How to use graphics in base: core24 snaps¶