apt

Install, update and remove software

What it does

apt is the package manager of Ubuntu and Debian. update downloads fresh package lists but installs nothing, so you run it before install and upgrade. upgrade updates everything installed, and install adds a package with its dependencies.

remove removes a package but keeps its settings, purge removes them too, and autoremove clears out dependencies nothing needs any more. apt search <word> looks for a package by name and description. Scripts use apt-get instead of apt, since its output stays stable.

Syntax

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install <package>
sudo apt remove <package>

Examples

• Refresh the lists of available packages

  sudo apt update

  same as: sudo apt-get update

  • apt — the Ubuntu and Debian package manager
  • update — download fresh lists; changes no packages

• Install updates for every package

  sudo apt upgrade

  • apt — the package manager
  • upgrade — update installed packages

• Install nginx

  sudo apt install nginx

  same as: sudo apt-get install nginx

  • install — install a package with its dependencies
  • nginx — the package

• Remove nginx but keep its settings

  sudo apt remove nginx

  same as: sudo apt-get remove nginx

  • remove — remove a package; settings stay (purge removes them too)
  • nginx — the package

Related commands

• sudo — Run a command with admin rights
• systemctl — Manage services: start, stop, start at boot
• df — See how much disk space there is

Practise · All commands