Package management | Linux | Ubuntu 20 LTS.md

Package management | Linux | Ubuntu 20 LTS

apt-get is a command-line tool for handling packages on Debian-based Linux systems like Ubuntu. It allows you to install, update, upgrade, and manage software packages.

Here's a breakdown of the common commands and their functionalities:

Update & Upgrade packages

Update Package Lists: To update the local package index with the latest changes made in the repositories, use:

sudo apt-get update

This command retrieves the latest package information from the repositories specified in /etc/apt/sources.list or files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/.

Upgrade Installed Packages: To upgrade all installed packages to their latest available versions, use:

sudo apt-get upgrade

This command installs the newest versions of all packages currently installed on the system. It does not remove any packages or install new ones.

Upgrade System Packages: If you want to upgrade the system itself, including installed packages and dependencies, you can use:

sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

This command performs the same function as upgrade, but it also handles dependencies intelligently and can remove/install additional packages if necessary to complete the upgrade.

Search & Install packages

Search for Packages: To search for a package by name, use: apt-cache search search_term Replace search_term with the keyword you're looking for. This command displays a list of packages related to the search term.

apt-cache search simple-scan

Install New Packages: To install a new package, use: sudo apt-get install package_name Replace package_name with the name of the package you want to install. You can install multiple packages by separating their names with spaces.

sudo apt-get install simple-scan

Remove & Clean packages

Remove Packages: To remove a package (and its configuration files) from your system, use: sudo apt-get remove package_name

sudo apt-get remove simple-scan

This command removes the specified package while keeping its configuration files intact in case you reinstall it later.

Purge Packages: If you want to completely remove the configuration files as well, use purge instead of remove: sudo apt-get purge package_name

sudo apt-get purge simple-scan

Cleaning up Packages: To remove downloaded package files that are no longer required, use:

sudo apt-get autoclean

This command removes only the package files that can no longer be downloaded and are practically useless.

Note:

Remember to use sudo before these commands to execute them with administrative privileges. Additionally, be cautious while using dist-upgrade as it can make significant changes to your system, and it's recommended to review the proposed changes before proceeding.

Managing repositories involves editing the /etc/apt/sources.list file or files within /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. These files contain a list of repositories from which apt-get fetches packages. To add or remove repositories, you edit these files using a text editor like nano or vim. Always be careful when modifying repository sources as it can impact the stability and security of your system.

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