Advanced Package Tool (apt)

apt

Allow me to introduce you to a reliable mate - the Advanced Package Tool, or apt for short. apt can do two things:

1. It can fetch and install software from online repositories - it's most common use

2. apt can also install software from local files you already have on your computer or network

So, whether you want to get stuff from the internet or use something you've got saved, APT's got your back. It may seem a bit old-school compared to fancy graphical tools, but apt is incredibly versatile and quickly becomes a staple in most people's command-line toolkit. In most cases, apt teams up an action verb like update or install, and true to its name, does exactly what is says on the tin!

Here are some command examples you can experiment with:

Command	Explanation
sudo apt update	This updates the list of available software available in the target repositories. Note that this doesnt actually update the software, just the list
sudo apt-install package	Pretty obvious - installs the named application(s)
sudo apt-cache search package	Use this to search the list of available software for a match for any string you provide - matches are made by both package names and descriptions which is handy if you dont know the exact name of what you need
sudo apt-cache pkgnames	This lists all the packages installed on the system
sudo apt remove package	Use this to uninstall a named package, or list of packages
sudo apt purge package	Uninstalls packages, however, whereas sudo apt remove will leave certain package artefacts like config files, purge nukes em all!!
sudo apt upgrade	Use this command to perform a mass update of all packages on the system. Note that this is normally preceeded by sudo apt update to ensure the upgrade provides the latest versions