“pactree” is a tool in Arch Linux that allows users to view the dependencies of packages installed on their system. The tool displays the dependencies of a package in the form of a tree, showing the parent package and all the packages that it depends on. This provides a visual representation of the relationships between packages, making it easier to understand the dependencies of a package and to see what packages are needed in order to install a particular package.
“pactree” can be used to list the dependencies of a single package, or to display the complete dependency tree of all installed packages. This information can be useful for troubleshooting problems with the system, for example, if a package is missing a required dependency, or if a package is causing a conflict with another package. “pactree” can also be used to evaluate the impact of installing or removing a package, by showing the packages that would be affected.
If you encounter the below error while running the command pactree:
pactree: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install pacman |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install pacman |
| Alpine | apk add pacman |
| Arch Linux | pacman -S pacman-contrib |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install pacman |
| Fedora | dnf install pacman |
| Raspbian | apt-get install pacman |
pactree Command Examples
1. Print the dependency tree of a specific package:
# pactree package
2. Print what packages depend on a specific package:
# pactree --reverse package
3. Dump dependencies one per line, skipping duplicates:
# pactree --unique package
4. Include optional dependencies of a specific package and colorize the output:
# pactree --optional --color package
5. Display help:
# pactree