Although dpkg is the original installer for Debian-derived distributions, today .deb packages are more commonly managed using APT. APT is a front-end manager to the dpkg system, much like YUM is a front-end manager to the RPM system. Until recently, the common software management tools were implemented as a mix of the apt-get and the apt-cache commands, along with several other variations on the apt-* format. Many Debian-derived distributions now use the more streamlined package manager simply named apt.
The apt command comes with several subcommands for managing packages.
| Subcommand | Description |
|---|---|
| install {package name} | Install the package. |
| remove {package name} | Uninstall the package, leaving behind its configuration files. |
| purge {package name} | Uninstall the package and remove its configuration files. |
| show {package name} | Report information about the package. |
| version {package name} | Display version information about the package. |
| update | Update APT database of available packages. |
| upgrade [package name] | Upgrade the package, or upgrade all packages if none provided (time-consuming). |
Syntax
The syntax of the apt command is:
# apt [options] [subcommand] [package name]
apt Command Examples
1. Update the list of available packages and versions (it’s recommended to run this before other `apt` commands):
# apt update
2. Search for a given package:
# apt search package
3. Show information for a package:
# apt show package
4. Install a package, or update it to the latest available version:
# apt install package
5. Remove a package (using `purge` instead also removes its configuration files):
# apt remove package
6. Upgrade all installed packages to their newest available versions:
# apt upgrade
7. List all packages:
# apt list
8. List installed packages:
# apt list --installed