apt-get
APT package handling utility for installing, upgrading, and removing packages.
Synopsis
apt-get [OPTION]... COMMAND [PACKAGE]...
Examples
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y curl wget
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get clean
Common options
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| install | Install packages |
| remove | Remove packages |
| update | Refresh package lists |
| upgrade | Upgrade packages |
| dist-upgrade | Smart upgrade handling dependencies |
| -y | Assume yes to prompts |
About apt-get
The `apt-get` command aPT package handling utility for installing, upgrading, and removing packages. Package management commands install, update, and remove software on Linux distributions.
Each distribution family has its own package manager — apt for Debian/Ubuntu, yum/dnf for RHEL/Fedora, pacman for Arch, and so on. Understanding your distro's package manager is one of the first steps in Linux administration.
The command accepts 6 commonly used flags shown above, though the full set of options is available in the man page (`man apt-get`). The 4 examples on this page cover typical real-world usage patterns that you can copy and adapt for your own workflows.
Related commands
More Package Management Commands
Other commands in the Package Management category