APT (Advanced Package Tool) is a powerful command-line package management system used in Debian, Ubuntu, and other Debian-based Linux distributions. This article covers the most common and useful apt commands that system administrators and Linux users should know.

Basic APT Commands

Updating Package Lists

sudo apt update

This command updates the package lists from repositories, ensuring you have information about the latest available packages.

Upgrading Installed Packages

sudo apt upgrade

Upgrades all installed packages to their latest versions.

To upgrade and install new dependencies or remove packages if required:

sudo apt full-upgrade

(Formerly known as apt-get dist-upgrade)

Installing Packages

sudo apt install package_name

Installs a specific package and its dependencies.

Multiple packages can be installed simultaneously:

sudo apt install package1 package2 package3

Removing Packages

sudo apt remove package_name

Removes a package but keeps configuration files.

To completely remove a package including configuration files:

sudo apt purge package_name

Removing Unused Dependencies

sudo apt autoremove

Removes packages that were automatically installed to satisfy dependencies but are no longer needed.

Package Information Commands

Searching for Packages

apt search search_term

Searches for packages matching the given term in names and descriptions.

For more specific name-only searches:

apt search --names-only search_term

Viewing Package Details

apt show package_name

Displays detailed information about a specific package.

Listing Packages

apt list --installed

Lists all installed packages.

apt list --upgradable

Lists all installed packages that can be upgraded.

apt list --all-versions package_name

Shows all available versions of a specific package.

Advanced APT Commands

Working with Package Files

sudo apt download package_name

Downloads a package file without installing it.

sudo apt install ./path/to/package.deb

Installs a local .deb package file.

Cleaning APT Cache

sudo apt clean

Removes all cached packages from /var/cache/apt/archives/.

sudo apt autoclean

Removes only outdated cached packages.

Fixing Broken Packages

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Attempts to fix broken dependencies.

Editing Sources

sudo apt edit-sources

Opens the sources.list file in the default editor.

APT Configuration and Information

Checking Dependency Information

apt depends package_name

Shows a list of dependencies for a package.

apt rdepends package_name

Shows packages that depend on the specified package.

Version Policy

apt policy package_name

Displays the installation candidate for a package and its priority.

Checking Package Contents

apt-file list package_name

Lists all files contained in a package (requires apt-file package).

Simulation Mode

sudo apt --simulate install package_name

Simulates the installation process without making any changes.

Less Common But Useful Commands

Holding Package Versions

sudo apt-mark hold package_name

Prevents a package from being automatically upgraded.

sudo apt-mark unhold package_name

Allows a held package to be upgraded again.

Viewing Changes

apt changelog package_name

Views the changelog for a specific package.

APT vs APT-GET

While apt-get has been the traditional command, apt was introduced as a more user-friendly interface, combining the most commonly used features of apt-get, apt-cache, and apt-config.

Common apt-get equivalents:

  • apt-get update → apt update
  • apt-get upgrade → apt upgrade
  • apt-get install → apt install
  • apt-get remove → apt remove
  • apt-cache search → apt search
  • apt-cache show → apt show

Conclusion

The apt command is an essential tool for managing packages on Debian-based Linux distributions. Mastering these commands will help you efficiently manage software installation, updates, and removals on your Linux system. While this article covers most common use cases, you can always access the complete documentation by typing man apt in your terminal.

linux
bash
apt