Command Line Package Management

APT

APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) is a powerful package management system, on which the graphical programs described above like Add/Remove Applications and Synaptic are based. APT automatically handles dependencies and performs other operations on system packages to allow the installation of the desired package/s.

[Note]

Running APT requires administrative privileges (see the section called “Root And Sudo”).

Some common commands that can be used with APT:

  • Install packages:

    sudo apt-get install packagename

  • Remove packages:

    sudo apt-get remove packagename

  • Retrieve new lists of packages:

    sudo apt-get update

  • Upgrade system with available updates:

    sudo apt-get upgrade

  • List further commands and options:

    apt-get help

[Tip]

For further information about the use of APT, read the comprehensive Debian APT User Manual.