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APT-Commands.md

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Advanced Package Tool (APT)

The Advanced Package Tool (APT) is a high-level package management system used in Debian-based Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Kali Linux, and Raspberry Pi OS. It provides an easy interface to interact with the dpkg package manager and handles dependency resolution automatically.

Common apt Commands

  1. Update the Package List

    apt update

    Before installing or upgrading packages, always update the package list. This fetches the latest package information from the repositories.

  2. Upgrade Installed Packages

    To upgrade all installed packages to their latest versions:

    apt list --upgradable

    apt upgrade -y

    To perform a full upgrade (includes removing obsolete packages if necessary):

    apt full-upgrade -y

    To upgrade the entire system, similar to apt upgrade, but with the added ability to handle dependency changes and remove obsolete packages:

    apt dist-upgrade -y

  3. Install a Package

    apt install package_name -y

    Example:

    apt install nginx

  4. Remove a Package

    To remove a package but keep its configuration files:

    apt remove package_name -y

    Example:

    apt remove nginx

    To remove a package along with its configuration files:

    apt remove --purge package_name -y

  5. Remove Unused Packages

    apt autoremove -y

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

  6. Search for a Package

    If you don't know the exact package name, you can search for it:

    apt search package_name

    Example:

    apt search nginx

  7. Show Package Information

    To display detailed information about a package:

    apt show package_name

    Example:

    apt show nginx

  8. List Installed Packages

    apt list

    apt list | wc -l

    apt list --installed

    apt list --installed | wc -l

  9. Clean the Cache (/var/cache/apt/archives/)

    apt autoclean

  10. Reinstall a Package

apt reinstall package_name

Reinstalls a package without removing its dependencies. This is useful when a package is corrupted or misconfigured.

  1. Download a Package
apt download <package-name>

Saves the .deb package file in the current directory for manual installation or offline use.
Example:

apt download nmap
  1. Check Package Dependencies
apt depends <package-name>

Lists the dependencies required for a package. This helps understand which additional packages need to be installed for proper functionality.
Example:

apt depends nmap
  1. Check Reverse Dependencies
apt rdepends <package-name>

Shows which other packages depend on a specific package. Useful before removing a package.
Example:

apt rdepends nmap
  1. View Package Source Information
apt showsrc <package-name>

Retrieves source package details (metadata and upstream source).
Example:

apt showsrc nmap
  1. Download the Source Code of a Package
apt source <package-name>

Fetches the package source into the current directory for modification or compilation.
Example:

apt source nmap
  1. View Package Changelog
apt changelog <package-name>

Checks the recent updates and fixes applied to the package.
Example:

apt changelog nmap

Fixing Common apt Errors

  1. Fix Broken Dependencies

    apt --fix-broken install

  2. Force Reconfiguration of Packages

    dpkg --configure

  3. Unlock apt When Another Process Is Using It

    rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock

    rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend

Other APT Tools

  1. Search for a Package

    To search for a package in the available repositories via apt-cache:

    apt-cache search <package-name>

    Returns a list of packages related to the given keyword.

  2. Display Package Details

    apt show <package-name>

    Shows metadata such as version, description, and dependencies.

  3. Check Package Dependencies

    apt-cache depends <package-name>

    Lists the dependencies for a package.
    To see which packages depend on the given package:

    apt-cache rdepends <package-name>

  4. View Source Package Information

    apt-cache showsrc <package-name>

    Useful when working with package source code.

  5. List Available Packages

    apt-cache pkgnames

    Outputs a list of all packages known to the system.

  6. Check Package Policy

    apt-cache policy <package-name>

    Shows the installed and available versions of the package, including repository sources.

  7. Update and Upgrade Packages

    apt-get update

    Updates the package list.

    apt-get upgrade -y

    Upgrades all installed packages.

    apt-get full-upgrade

    Performs a full system upgrade.

  8. Install and Remove Packages

    apt-get install <package-name>

    Installs a package.

    apt-get remove <package-name>

    Removes a package.

    apt-get purge <package-name>

    Completely removes a package along with configuration files.

    apt-get autoremove

    Removes unnecessary dependencies.

  9. Download and Manage Source Packages

    apt-get download <package-name>

    Downloads a package without installing it.

    apt-get source <package-name>

    Fetches the source code of a package.

    apt-get changelog <package-name>

    Checks the package changelog.

    apt-get check

    Verifies package integrity.

    apt-get clean

    Cleans cached packages.

  10. Additional Package Management Tools

pip install <package-name>

Installs Python packages via pip.

npm install <package-name>

Installs Node.js packages.

gem install <package-name>

Installs Ruby gems.