Handy Pacman Commands in Arch Linux

Pacman , the package manager for Arch Linux, is known for its simple binary package format and easy-to-use build system . The primary aim of Pacman is to facilitate straightforward management of packages from both the official repositories and user-generated builds.

Pacman ensures your system remains updated by synchronizing the package lists with the master server. This client/server model simplifies the process of downloading and installing packages, along with all their dependencies, using basic commands.

Installing and Upgrading Packages

• Install a Package:

  1	sudo pacman -S <package-name>

• Full System Upgrade:

  1	sudo pacman -Syu

  • -y synchronizes the database, similar to sudo apt-get update.
  • -u upgrades all out-of-date packages, akin to sudo apt-get upgrade.

• Installing Packages from Git: Clone the package and install:

  1 2	git clone <repository-url> makepkg -si

Removing Packages

• Remove a Specific Package:

  1	sudo pacman -R <package-name>

  Using -s removes dependencies not required by other packages, but be cautious as it may affect dependencies needed by other programs.

• Best Practice for Removing Packages:

  1	sudo pacman -Rns <package-name>

• Remove Obsolete Packages:

  1	sudo pacman -Sc

Managing Package Lists

• List All Installed Packages:

  1	sudo pacman -Q

• List Manually Installed Packages:

  1	sudo pacman -Qe

• List Installed AUR Packages:

  1	sudo pacman -Qm

• List Unneeded Dependencies:

  1	sudo pacman -Qdt

Getting Started with Pacman

• Creating a List of Installed Packages: Generate a list to easily reinstall packages on a new system:

  1	pacman -Qqen > pkglist.txt

  To reinstall packages from the list:

  1	pacman -S - < pkglist.txt

Rollback to Previous Versions

• List Cached Packages:

  1	ls /var/cache/pacman/pkg/

  To downgrade a package:

  1	sudo pacman -U <package-file>

Managing Mirror Lists

• Edit and Refresh Mirror List:

  1 2	sudo vim /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist sudo pacman -Syy

  Use -yy to force a refresh of the package databases, even if they are up to date.

Configuration Tips

• Enable Parallel Downloads: Open your configuration file:

  1	sudo vim /etc/pacman.conf

  Then uncomment or add the following line to enable multiple simultaneous downloads:

  1	ParallelDownloads=5

• Ignore Specific Packages: Add the following line to /etc/pacman.conf to prevent specific packages from being updated:

  1	IgnorePkg = postgresql*