How Agora works

This page is for people who are new to Linux or who don’t work in IT. You can use the rest of the site without reading this — but if the words “Flatpak” or “telemetry” are unfamiliar, start here.

New to Linux?

Linux is an operating system, like Windows or macOS, but it’s free and comes in many “flavours” (Ubuntu, Fedora, and others). Apps here are programs you install on Linux — browsers, office tools, chat apps, and so on.

This website does not install software for you automatically. It helps you choose an app, then copy a short command you (or a helper) can run on your computer. That’s normal on Linux, even if it feels new at first.

What Agora is (and isn’t)

Agora is a guide on top of Flathub — a big public catalogue of Linux applications. We add a privacy lens: short notes and tags from our project (contributions welcome on GitHub), aimed at people who care where data goes and whether software is open and trustworthy. That’s especially relevant as more schools, governments, and businesses in Europe move to Linux.

Important: We are not an official government service, not antivirus, and not a guarantee that an app is “approved” for your workplace. We’re a volunteer-style project. When in doubt, follow your IT department’s rules.

The three list filters (Privacy filter)

On the home page you can narrow the list of apps. That does not change how safe an app is on your machine — it only changes which rows we show you, using our small, growing list of community notes.

All apps — Show everything in the list (same as no filter). You may still see small privacy badges on each card if we have added notes for that app.
Hide strongest-warning apps — Hides only the apps we gave our strongest privacy warnings to (for example, serious cloud or data-flow concerns we wrote down in plain terms). Apps we have not written up yet still appear, because “no note from us” means “unknown to us” — not “OK” and not “bad”, just “we have not checked yet”.
Only our “all clear” list — Only shows apps we have fully checked and marked “all clear” for our criteria. That is a short, strict list that will grow as more apps are reviewed. It is not a promise that the software is perfect for every person or organisation.

What the colour badges mean

Badges on app cards and app pages are short summaries of our community notes — things like open source, telemetry, and where data may go. They help you compare at a glance; the details are still yours to check.

Who sets “Safe”, “Caution”, and “Risk” here? These are maintainer-curated labels from Agora (open to community contribution on GitHub) — not a government body, not your IT department, and not an official grade from Flathub. We write them in everyday language; they are a guide, not a legal certificate.

Safe

We’ve tagged the app to match our “safe” rules in the database (e.g. open and sensible for privacy in our view). Not a legal certificate — a curated label.

Caution

Some information is missing, or there are mixed signals. Worth a second look before use in a sensitive environment.

Risk

We’ve flagged serious concern for our audience (e.g. cloud or data issues we want you to know about). Not “malware” by default — it’s a policy / privacy warning from us.

Not reviewed

We don’t have a full tag entry for this app yet. The app can still be popular and fine — we simply haven’t written it up.

Words we use (plain English)

Short definitions — the kind of thing IT people forget to explain.

Linux: An operating system (the main software that runs the computer) — like Windows or macOS, but often free. Ubuntu and Fedora are examples.
App / application: A program you install: browser, chat, game, word processor, and so on.
Flatpak: A common way to install apps on Linux so the same app can work on many Linux “flavours”. We show a flatpak line you can copy. Flathub is the public shop window that hosts many of these apps.
Terminal: A text window where you type commands. On Linux it’s a normal way to install software, even if you’re not a programmer. Copy, paste, press Enter, follow prompts — or ask someone to help the first time.
Open source: The recipe of the program (source code) is public and can be checked by the community. It does not automatically mean “100% private” or “no mistakes” — it means more transparency about how the software is built.
Telemetry: Usage or health data the app may send to its maker or servers — for example crash reports, version checks, or optional analytics. We care whether that’s off by default or easy to turn off.
GDPR (EU data rules): Strict EU law about how personal data is collected and used. We mention it because schools, hospitals, and offices often need tools that don’t send personal data the wrong way. Agora is not a legal audit — we use simple flags and notes.
“EU origin” (our tag): A rough label for where the project is mainly made or run from (for example, team in the EU). It’s a practical hint for buyers and IT buyers, not an official “made in the EU” certificate.
US cloud / “risk” in our list: We may flag strong cloud or data location concerns (for example data habitually on US company servers) when that matters for our audience. It’s a policy-style warning, not the same as a virus.

How you actually install an app

Agora uses Flatpak — a common way to install the same app on many Linux distributions. Each app’s page has a command you can copy, for example: flatpak install flathub com.example.App.

Open a terminal (an app on your computer where you type text commands — often called “Terminal” or “Console”).
Paste the command from Agora and press Enter.
Follow any prompts. If you’re on a work machine, ask IT first — they may have their own way to install software.

If the word “terminal” is daunting, ask a friend, family member, or your support desk to help the first time. It gets easier quickly.

Open source & improve the list

Agora and its tag data are open to contribution. If you spot an error or want to help tag more apps, you’re welcome to join on GitHub. Many teams moving to Linux will also benefit as the list grows.