doc/apt-get.8.yo

   1 mailto(apt@packages.debian.org)
   2 manpage(apt-get)(8)(4 Dec 1998)(apt)()
   3 manpagename(apt-get)(APT package handling utility -- command-line interface)
   4
   5 manpagesynopsis()
   6   apt-get [options] [command] [package ...]
   7
   8 manpagedescription()
   9
  10 apt-get is the command-line tool for handling packages, and may be considered
  11 the user's "back-end" to apt(8).
  12
  13 em(command) is one of:
  14 itemize(
  15   it() update
  16   it() upgrade
  17   it() dselect-upgrade
  18   it() dist-upgrade
  19   it() install package1 [package2] [...]
  20   it() remove package1 [package2] [...]
  21   it() source package1 [package2] [...]
  22   it() check
  23   it() clean
  24   it() autoclean
  25 )
  26
  27 Unless the -h, or --help option is given one of the above commands
  28 must be present.
  29
  30 startdit()
  31 dit(bf(update))
  32 bf(update) is used to resynchronize the package overview files from their
  33 sources. The overviews of available packages are fetched from the
  34 location(s) specified in bf(/etc/apt/sources.list).
  35 For example, when using a Debian archive, this command retrieves and
  36 scans the bf(Packages.gz) files, so that information about new and updated
  37 packages is available. An bf(update) should always be performed before an
  38 bf(upgrade) bf(dist-upgrade). Please be aware that the overall progress
  39 meter will be incorrect as the size of the package files cannot be known in
  40 advance.
  41
  42 dit(bf(upgrade))
  43 bf(upgrade) is used to install the newest versions of all packages currently
  44 installed on the system from the sources enumerated in
  45 bf(/etc/apt/sources.list). Packages currently installed with new versions
  46 available are retrieved and upgraded; under no circumstances are currently
  47 installed packages removed, or packages not already installed retrieved and
  48 installed. New versions of currently installed packages that cannot be
  49 upgraded without changing the install status of another package will be left
  50 at their current version. An bf(update) must be performed first so that
  51 bf(apt-get) knows that new versions of packages are available.
  52
  53 dit(bf(dselect-upgrade))
  54 bf(dselect-upgrade)
  55 is used in conjunction with the traditional Debian GNU/Linux packaging
  56 front-end, bf(dselect (8)). bf(dselect-upgrade)
  57 follows the changes made by bf(dselect) to the em(Status)
  58 field of available packages, and performs the actions necessary to realize
  59 that state (for instance, the removal of old and the installation of new
  60 packages).
  61
  62 dit(bf(dist-upgrade))
  63 bf(dist-upgrade),in addition to performing the function of bf(upgrade),
  64 also intelligently handles changing dependencies with new versions of
  65 packages; bf(apt-get) has a "smart" conflict resolution system, and it will
  66 attempt to upgrade the most important packages at the expense of less
  67 important ones if necessary. The bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file contains a
  68 list of locations from which to retrieve desired package files.
  69
  70 dit(bf(install))
  71 bf(install) is followed by one or more em(packages) desired for installation.
  72 Each em(package) is a package name, not a fully qualified filename
  73 (for instance, in a Debian GNU/Linux system, em(ldso) would be the argument
  74 provided, not em(ldso_1.9.6-2.deb)). All packages required by the package(s)
  75 specified for installation will also be retrieved and installed. The
  76 bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file is used to locate the desired packages. If a
  77 hyphen is appended to the package name (with no intervening space), the
  78 identified package will be removed if it is installed. This latter feature
  79 may be used to override decisions made by apt-get's conflict resolution system.
  80
  81 If no package matches the given expression and the expression contains one
  82 of '.', '?' or '*' then it is assumed to be a POSIX regex and it is applied
  83 to all package names in the database. Any matches are then installed (or
  84 removed). Note that matching is done by substring so 'lo*' matches 'how-lo'
  85 and 'lowest'. If this is undesired prefix with a '^' character.
  86
  87 dit(bf(remove))
  88 bf(remove) is identical to bf(install) except that packages are removed
  89 instead of installed. If a plus sign is appended to the package name (with no
  90 intervening space), the identified package will be installed.
  91
  92 dit(bf(source))
  93 bf(source) causes apt-get to fetch source packages. APT will examine the
  94 available packages to decide which source package to fetch. It will then
  95 find and download into the current directory the newest available version of
  96 that source package. Source packages are tracked separately from binary
  97 packages via bf(deb-src) type lines in the bf(/etc/apt/sources.list) file.
  98 This probably will mean that you will not get the same source as the package
  99 you have installed or as you could install. If the --compile options is
 100 specified then the package will be compiled to a binary .deb using
 101 dpkg-buildpackage, if --download-only is specified then the source package
 102 will not be unpacked.
 103
 104 Note that source packages are not tracked like binary packages, they exist
 105 only in the current directory and are similar to downloading source
 106 tar balls.
 107
 108 dit(bf(check))
 109 bf(check) is a diagnostic tool; it updates the package cache and checks for
 110 broken packages.
 111
 112 dit(bf(clean))
 113 bf(clean) clears out the local repository of retrieved package files. It
 114 removes everything but the lock file from bf(/var/cache/apt/archives/)
 115 and bf(/var/cache/apt/archives/partial/).
 116 When APT is used as a bf(dselect(8)) method, bf(clean) is run automatically.
 117 Those who do not use dselect will likely want to run code(apt-get clean)
 118 from time to time to free up disk space.
 119
 120 dit(bf(autoclean))
 121 Like bf(clean), bf(autoclean) clears out the local repository of retrieved
 122 package files. The difference is that it only removes package files that
 123 can no longer be downloaded, and are largely useless. This allows a
 124 cache to be maintained over a long period without it growing out of
 125 control.
 126
 127 enddit()
 128
 129 manpageoptions()
 130 All command line options may be set using the configuration file, the
 131 descriptions indicate the configuration option to set. For boolean
 132 options you can override the config file by using something like bf(-f-),
 133 bf(--no-f), bf(-f=no) or several other variations.
 134
 135 startdit()
 136 dit(bf(-d, --download-only))
 137 Download only; package files are only retrieved, not unpacked or installed.
 138 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Download-Only).
 139
 140 dit(bf(-f, --fix-broken))
 141 Fix; attempt to correct a system with broken dependencies in
 142 place. This option may be used alone or in conjunction with any of the
 143 command actions, and is sometimes necessary when running APT for the
 144 first time; APT itself does not allow broken package dependencies to
 145 exist on a system. It is possible that a system's dependency structure
 146 can be so corrupt as to require manual intervention (which usually
 147 means using dselect or dpkg --remove to eliminate some of the offending
 148 packages). Use of this option together with -m may produce an error in
 149 some situations. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Fix-Broken).
 150
 151 dit(bf(-h, --help))
 152 Help; display a helpful usage message and exits.
 153
 154 dit(bf(-v, --version))
 155 Show the program version.
 156
 157 dit(bf(-m, --ignore-missing, --fix-missing))
 158 Ignore missing packages; If packages cannot be retrieved or fail the
 159 integrity check after retrieval (corrupted package files), hold back
 160 those packages and handle the result. Use of this option together with
 161 -f may produce an error in some situations. Configuration Item: bf(ignore-missing).
 162
 163 dit(bf(--no-download))
 164 Disables downloading of packages. This is best used with --ignore-missing to
 165 force APT to use only the .debs it has already downloaded.
 166
 167 dit(bf(-q, --quiet))
 168 Quiet; produces output suitable for logging, omitting progress indicators.
 169 More q's will produce more quiet up to a maximum of 2. You can also use
 170 bf(-q=#) to set the quiet level, overriding the configuration file. Note that
 171 quiet level 2 implies -y, you should never use -qq without a no-action
 172 modifier such as -d, --print-uris or -s as APT may decided to do something
 173 you did not expect.
 174 Configuration Item: bf(quiet)
 175
 176 dit(bf(-s, --simulate, --just-print, --dry-run, --recon, --no-act))
 177 No action; perform a simulation of events that would occur but do not
 178 actually change the system. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Simulate).
 179
 180 Simulate prints out
 181 a series of lines each one representing a dpkg operation, Configure (Conf),
 182 Remove (Remv), Unpack (Inst). Square brackets indicate broken packages with
 183 and empty set of square brackets meaning breaks that are of no consequence
 184 (rare).
 185
 186 dit(bf(-y, --yes, --assume-yes))
 187 Automatic yes to prompts; assume "yes" as answer to all prompts and run
 188 non-interactively. If an undesirable situation, such as changing a held
 189 package or removing an essential package occurs then bf(apt-get) will
 190 abort. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Assume-Yes).
 191
 192 dit(bf(-u, --show-upgraded))
 193 Show upgraded packages; Print out a list of all packages that are to be
 194 upgraded. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Show-Upgraded).
 195
 196 dit(bf(-b, --compile, --build))
 197 Compile source packages after downloading them.
 198
 199 dit(bf(--ignore-hold))
 200 Ignore package Holds; This causes bf(apt-get) to ignore a hold placed on
 201 a package. This may be useful in conjunction with bf(dist-upgrade) to
 202 override a large number of undesired holds. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Ignore-Hold).
 203
 204 dit(bf(--no-upgrade))
 205 Do not upgrade packages; When used in conjunction with bf(install)
 206 bf(no-upgrade) will prevent packages listed from being upgraded if they
 207 are already installed. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::no-upgrade).
 208
 209 dit(bf(--force-yes))
 210 Force yes; This is a dangerous option that will cause apt to continue without
 211 prompting if it is doing something potentially harmful. It should not be used
 212 except in very special situations. Using bf(force-yes) can potentially destroy
 213 your system! Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::force-yes).
 214
 215 dit(bf(--print-uris))
 216 Instead of fetching the files to install their URIs are printed. Each
 217 URI will have the path, the destination file name, the size and the expected
 218 md5 hash. Note that the file name to write to will not always match
 219 the file name on the remote site! This also works with the bf(source)
 220 command. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Print-URIs).
 221
 222 dit(bf(--purge))
 223 Use purge instead of remove for anything that would be removed.
 224
 225 dit(bf(--reinstall))
 226 Re-Install packages that are already installed and at the newest version.
 227
 228 dit(bf(--list-cleanup))
 229 This option defaults to on, use bf(--no-list-cleanup) to turn it off.
 230 When on apt-get will automatically manage the contents of
 231 /var/state/apt/lists to ensure that obsolete files are erased. The only
 232 reason to turn it off is if you frequently change your source list.
 233 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::List-Cleanup)
 234
 235 dit(bf(--trivial-only))
 236 Only perform operations are 'trivial'. Logically this can be considered
 237 related to --assume-yes, where --assume-yes will answer yes to any prompt,
 238 --trivial-only will answer no. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Trivial-Only)
 239
 240 dit(bf(--no-remove))
 241 If any packages are to be removed apt-get immediately aborts without
 242 prompting. Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::No-Remove)
 243
 244 dit(bf(--diff-only), bd(--tar-only))
 245 Download only the diff or tar file of a source archive.
 246 Configuration Item: bf(APT::Get::Diff-Only)
 247
 248 dit(bf(-c, --config-file))
 249 Configuration File; Specify a configuration file to use. bf(apt-get) will
 250 read the default configuration file and then this configuration file. See
 251 bf(apt.conf(5)) for syntax information.
 252
 253 dit(bf(-o, --option))
 254 Set a Configuration Option; This will set an arbitrary configuration option.
 255 The syntax is
 256 verb(-o Foo::Bar=bar)
 257 enddit()
 258
 259 manpagefiles()
 260 itemize(
 261   it() /etc/apt/sources.list
 262   locations to fetch packages from
 263
 264   it() /var/cache/apt/archives/
 265   storage area for retrieved package files
 266
 267   it() /var/cache/apt/archives/partial/
 268   storage area for package files in transit
 269
 270   it() /var/state/apt/lists/
 271   storage area for state information for each package resource specified in
 272   the source list
 273
 274   it() /var/state/apt/lists/partial/
 275   storage area for state information in transit
 276 )
 277
 278 manpageseealso()
 279 apt-cache(8),
 280 dpkg(8),
 281 dselect(8),
 282 sources.list(5),
 283 apt.conf(5),
 284 The APT Users Guide in /usr/doc/apt/
 285
 286 manpagediagnostics()
 287 apt-get returns zero on normal operation, decimal 100 on error.
 288
 289 manpagebugs()
 290 See http://bugs.debian.org/apt.  If you wish to report a
 291 bug in bf(apt-get), please see bf(/usr/doc/debian/bug-reporting.txt)
 292 or the bf(bug(1)) command.
 293
 294 manpageauthor()
 295 apt-get was written by the APT team <apt@packages.debian.org>.