EMZETT.Package management on Linux at a glance
In short: On Linux you do not install software from a downloaded file but through a package manager. It fetches programs from package sources, resolves dependencies and keeps everything up to date.
In more detail: A package is an archive with program files and metadata (name, version, dependencies, scripts). Each distribution family has its own format and tool.
In detail
| Family | Format | Tool (terminal) | Distributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | .deb | [[apt-und-dpkg-(debian-ubuntu) | APT and dpkg (Debian, Ubuntu)]] |
| Red Hat | .rpm | [[dnf-und-rpm-(fedora-rhel) | DNF and RPM (Fedora, RHEL)]] |
| Arch | .pkg.tar.zst | [[pacman-und-das-aur-(arch) | pacman and the AUR (Arch)]] |
| SUSE | .rpm | zypper | openSUSE, SLE |
| Alpine | .apk | apk | Alpine |
| Gentoo | source code | emerge (Portage) | Gentoo |
| Nix | derivations | nix | NixOS |
- Universal formats: Flatpak, Snap and AppImage run on many distributions.
- Graphical: Discover (KDE), GNOME Software, Synaptic, Mint’s update manager.
- Advantages: central updates, signature checks, clean removal, less malware than downloads from websites.
- Basic terms: Package sources, repositories and PPAs, Dependencies and libraries.
See also: Linux, Linux distributions