--- title: Install cubic on Ubuntu using the Snap Store | Snapcraft description: Get the latest version of cubic for on Ubuntu - Cubic is a lightweight command line manager for virtual machines. url: https://snapcraft.io/install/cubic/ubuntu --- [Canonical Snapcraft](https://snapcraft.io/) # Install cubic on **Ubuntu** # cubic [Roger Knecht (rogerknecht)](https://snapcraft.io/publisher/rogerknecht "View all snaps from Roger Knecht (rogerknecht)") * [Roger Knecht (rogerknecht)](https://snapcraft.io/publisher/rogerknecht "View all snaps from Roger Knecht (rogerknecht)") * [Development](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=development) * [Utilities](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=utilities) [Install](https://snapcraft.io/install/cubic/ubuntu#install) #### Cubic is a lightweight command line manager for virtual machines. Cubic spins up Linux virtual machines on Linux, macOS and Windows with a single command. Every distribution comes as a prebuilt cloud image and is ready to use within seconds, so you skip the long installation. Cubic keeps things simple and secure by acting as lightweight glue over proven tools. No privileged system service is required and every VM runs as your normal user, so you never need admin or root rights. Cubic is built on top of QEMU, EDK2, official cloud images and cloud-init. One command takes you from nothing to a shell inside a fresh Linux VM. The images are official and verified, downloaded straight from each distribution. Every machine is a real VM, so you get stronger isolation than containers can offer. The same workflow runs on Linux, macOS and Windows across amd64 and arm64. No privileged system service is required and you never need admin or root rights. Cubic fits a lot of everyday workflows: * Spin up disposable VMs that are ready in seconds and easy to throw away * Compare many Linux distributions side by side on any host * Develop and test across distributions and CPU architectures * Try or build software without polluting your host * Run untrusted or experimental software inside an isolated VM * Reproduce CI or production Linux environments locally * Run local services such as HTTP servers and databases with port forwarding ### Package name * cubic --- ### License * GPL-2.0-only --- ### Last updated * 14 September 2026 - latest/stable * 16 September 2026 - latest/edge --- ### Websites * [cubic-vm.org](https://cubic-vm.org "https://cubic-vm.org") --- ### Source code * [github.com/cubic-vm/cubic](https://github.com/cubic-vm/cubic "https://github.com/cubic-vm/cubic") --- ### Report a bug * [github.com/cubic-vm/cubic/issues](https://github.com/cubic-vm/cubic/issues "https://github.com/cubic-vm/cubic/issues") --- ##### Report a Snap Store violation * [Report this Snap](https://snapcraft.io/install/cubic/ubuntu#report-snap-modal) --- ## Enable snaps on Ubuntu and install cubic Snaps are applications packaged with all their dependencies to run on all popular Linux distributions from a single build. They update automatically and roll back gracefully. Snaps are discoverable and installable from the [Snap Store](https://snapcraft.io/store), an app store with an audience of millions. ### Enable snapd If you’re running [Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus)](https://www.ubuntu.com/) or later, including [Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver)](https://www.ubuntu.com/desktop/features) and [Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FocalFossa/ReleaseNotes), you don’t need to do anything. Snap is already installed and ready to go. For versions of Ubuntu between [14.04 LTS (Trusty Tahr)](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TrustyTahr/ReleaseNotes) and [15.10 (Wily Werewolf)](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WilyWerewolf/ReleaseNotes), as well as Ubuntu flavours that don’t include *snap* by default, *snap* can be installed from the Ubuntu Software Centre by searching for *snapd*. Alternatively, snapd can be installed from the command line: ``` sudo apt update sudo apt install snapd ``` Either log out and back in again, or restart your system, to ensure snap’s paths are updated correctly. ### Install cubic To install cubic, simply use the following command: ``` sudo snap install cubic ``` ### Other popular snaps… [See more...](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=featured) [See more in Featured](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=featured) ### More things to do… #### [Get the snap store](https://snapcraft.io/snap-store) Browse and find snaps from the convenience of your desktop using the snap store snap. #### [Learn more about snaps](https://snapcraft.io/docs) Interested to find out more about snaps? Want to publish your own application? Visit [snapcraft.io](https://snapcraft.io/) now. [Back to top](https://snapcraft.io/install/cubic/ubuntu) © 2026 Canonical Ltd. Ubuntu and Canonical are registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd. 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