---
title: Install Spekter on CentOS using the Snap Store | Snapcraft
description: Get the latest version of Spekter for on CentOS - Instant file and folder
  comparison
url: https://snapcraft.io/install/spekter/centos
---

[Canonical Snapcraft](https://snapcraft.io/)

# Install Spekter on **CentOS**

# Spekter

[Hallvard Ystad (hallyhaa)](https://snapcraft.io/publisher/hallyhaa "View all snaps from Hallvard Ystad (hallyhaa)")

* [Hallvard Ystad (hallyhaa)](https://snapcraft.io/publisher/hallyhaa "View all snaps from Hallvard Ystad (hallyhaa)")
* [Development](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=development)
* [Utilities](https://snapcraft.io/search?categories=utilities)

[Install](https://snapcraft.io/install/spekter/centos#install)

#### Instant file and folder comparison

Visual GUI tool for recursive directory and file comparison.
Side-by-side and unified diff views with synchronized scrolling,
inline character-level highlighting, Meld-style Bezier gutter connectors
and a tabbed interface. Binary files are detected and reported with sizes
rather than rendered as garbled text. Detects when JSON or JSONL files
differ only in element ordering, and applies hunk-slider postprocessing
so an inserted object in a JSON array is marked as one whole object.

Code and data files are syntax coloured, with grammars for a lot of
languages built in and more available as plugins: a plugin is just a
folder of Sublime Text grammar files, with no code to install.
Colouring is instant.

The diff view has a read-only caret with full keyboard navigation
(arrow keys, word-hop with Ctrl, smart Home/End, Shift to extend the
selection, Tab to move between panes, Ctrl+G to go to a line, F7 and
Shift+F7 to jump between changes). A diff opens on its first change.
Spekter watches the compared files on disk and shows a pulsing reload
chip in the header when either side changes. A change-overview minimap
on each pane marks where the diffs sit, and clicking it syncs the
opposite pane.

Large files stay responsive: a file's text appears instantly while its
diff is computed on a background thread, computed diffs are cached, and
the changed files are prefetched as you browse, so opening or revisiting
them feels immediate even at a million lines.

Ignored entries (.git, node\_modules, editor swap files and the like)
are skipped but listed as dimmed stubs rather than silently erased,
and the rules go both ways: expand an ignored directory or open an
ignored file to compare it anyway, or right-click any entry to ignore
it yourself. These choices are remembered per directory pair.

An instant, keyboard-driven alternative to Meld and diff for comparing
folders and code.

### Package name

* spekter

---

### License

* MIT

---

### Last updated

* 16 October 2026 - latest/stable

---

### Websites

* [gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter](https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter "https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter")

---

### Contact

* [gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work\_items](https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work_items "https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work_items")

---

### Source code

* [gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter](https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter "https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter")

---

### Report a bug

* [gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work\_items](https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work_items "https://gitlab.com/hallyhaa/spekter/-/work_items")

---

##### Report a Snap Store violation

* [Report this Snap](https://snapcraft.io/install/spekter/centos#report-snap-modal)

---

## Enable snaps on CentOS and install Spekter

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

Snap is available for [CentOS 7.6+](https://snapcraft.io/install/spekter/centos), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6+, from the [Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux](https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL) (EPEL) repository. The EPEL repository can be added to your system with the following command:

```
sudo yum install epel-release
```

Snap can now be installed as follows:

```
sudo yum install snapd
```

Once installed, the *systemd* unit that manages the main snap communication socket needs to be enabled:

```
sudo systemctl enable --now snapd.socket
```

To enable *classic* snap support, enter the following to create a symbolic link between `/var/lib/snapd/snap` and `/snap`:

```
sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap
```

Either log out and back in again, or restart your system, to ensure snap’s paths are updated correctly.

### Install Spekter

To install Spekter, simply use the following command:

```
sudo snap install spekter
```

### 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/spekter/centos)

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