APT Commands

Complete reference for APT package management inside the Ubuntu proot environment. For background on how package managers work, see What is a Package Manager.

ℹ️No sudo required

When running inside proot-distro, you are already root. All apt commands run directly without sudo. If you are accessing the environment from an outer shell or script that does not enter proot as root, prefix commands with sudo as usual.

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Installing Packages

Command	Description	Example
apt install <pkg>	Install a package and its dependencies	apt install vim
apt install -y <pkg>	Install without confirmation prompt	apt install -y curl wget
apt install <pkg1> <pkg2>	Install multiple packages at once	apt install git nodejs npm
apt install --no-install-recommends <pkg>	Install without recommended extras (smaller footprint)	apt install --no-install-recommends python3
apt install <pkg>=<version>	Install a specific version	apt install nodejs=18.19.0-1nodesource1
apt reinstall <pkg>	Reinstall a currently installed package	apt reinstall openssh-client
dpkg -i <file>.deb	Install a local .deb file	dpkg -i package.deb

$apt install -y build-essential

✅💡 Fix broken installs after dpkg

If dpkg -i fails due to missing dependencies, run:

$apt install --fix-broken -y

This resolves and installs any missing dependencies for the partially installed package.

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Removing Packages

Command	Description	Example
apt remove <pkg>	Remove a package but keep its configuration files	apt remove apache2
apt purge <pkg>	Remove a package and its configuration files	apt purge apache2
apt remove --purge <pkg>	Same as apt purge	apt remove --purge nginx
apt autoremove	Remove packages that were installed as dependencies and are no longer needed	apt autoremove
apt autoremove --purge	Autoremove and delete configuration files	apt autoremove --purge

$apt autoremove -y

⚠️Purge is permanent

apt purge deletes configuration files in /etc that belong to the package. If you have customized config files, back them up before purging.

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Updating & Upgrading

Command	Description	Example
apt update	Refresh the package index from repositories	apt update
apt upgrade	Upgrade all installed packages to their latest versions (safe, no removals)	apt upgrade -y
apt full-upgrade	Upgrade packages, adding or removing dependencies as needed	apt full-upgrade -y
apt dist-upgrade	Same as full-upgrade; handles changing dependencies intelligently	apt dist-upgrade -y

⭐Best Practice

Always run apt update before apt install or apt upgrade to ensure you are pulling from the latest package index.

$apt update && apt upgrade -y

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Searching & Information

Command	Description	Example
apt search <term>	Search package names and descriptions	apt search image editor
apt show <pkg>	Display detailed information about a package	apt show ffmpeg
apt list	List all available packages	apt list
apt list --installed	List only installed packages	apt list --installed
apt list --upgradable	List packages with available upgrades	apt list --upgradable
dpkg -l	List all installed packages with version and status	dpkg -l
dpkg -l <pattern>	Filter installed packages by name pattern	dpkg -l 'lib*'
dpkg -L <pkg>	List all files installed by a package	dpkg -L coreutils

$apt list --installed 2>/dev/null | grep -i python

✅💡 Tip

Pipe dpkg -l or apt list through grep to quickly filter results when searching for a specific package.

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Cache Management

Command	Description	Example
apt clean	Delete all cached .deb files from /var/cache/apt/archives	apt clean
apt autoclean	Delete only cached .deb files that can no longer be downloaded (obsolete)	apt autoclean
apt-cache stats	Show cache statistics (total packages, versions, dependencies)	apt-cache stats
apt-cache policy <pkg>	Show installed and candidate versions plus repository priority	apt-cache policy nodejs

$apt clean && apt autoclean

ℹ️Note

In a proot environment, disk space is shared with the Android host. Running apt clean after large installs helps reclaim storage.

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Common Flags

Flag	Long Form	Description
-y	--yes	Assume "yes" to all prompts; run non-interactively
	--no-install-recommends	Skip recommended (but not required) packages
-f	--fix-broken	Attempt to fix broken dependencies
-s	--dry-run	Simulate the operation without making changes
	--allow-downgrades	Allow installing an older version of an already-installed package
-q	--quiet	Suppress progress output; useful in scripts
-d	--download-only	Download packages but do not install them

Combining flags

Flags can be combined in a single command. For example, to do a quiet, non-interactive upgrade without recommended packages:

$apt upgrade -y -q --no-install-recommends

For a dry run before a full upgrade to preview what would change:

$apt full-upgrade --dry-run

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Troubleshooting Common Issues

E: Unable to locate package

The package index is out of date or the package name is wrong.

1. Update the index first:
   $apt update
2. Verify the package name with apt search.
3. Check that the correct repositories are enabled in /etc/apt/sources.list.

dpkg was interrupted / broken packages

A previous install was interrupted, leaving the package database in a broken state.

$dpkg --configure -a

$apt install --fix-broken -y

Hash Sum mismatch

The downloaded package does not match the expected checksum, often caused by a stale cache or network issue.

$apt clean

$apt update

If it persists, try switching to a different mirror in /etc/apt/sources.list.

Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock

Another apt or dpkg process is running. In proot, this can also happen if a previous session crashed.

$rm -f /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend /var/lib/dpkg/lock /var/cache/apt/archives/lock

$dpkg --configure -a

⚠️Warning

Only remove lock files if you are certain no other package operation is running.

Held packages preventing upgrade

Some packages are held back and not upgraded. To see which:

$apt-mark showhold

To unhold a package and allow it to upgrade:

$apt-mark unhold <package-name>