# Install apt-dater with Homebrew, apk, apt, Nix Manage package updates on remote hosts using SSH. Version 1.0.4 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-10. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install apt-dater. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:apt-dater ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install apt-dater ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add apt-dater ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apt-dater from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install apt-dater ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: apt-dater from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#apt-dater ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ap/apt-dater/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:apt-dater - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Version:** 1.0.4 - **Source summary:** Manage package updates on remote hosts using SSH - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-10T11:09:15-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00 ## Executables - adsh (alias) - apt-dater (alias) ## Install behavior - Bottle: not available ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-08-03 - Package-manager version: 1.0.4 ## Project history and usage apt-dater is a terminal tool for keeping one or more Debian GNU/Linux hosts up to date over SSH. It sits in the old sysadmin niche between package-manager front ends and fleet-management systems. ### Project history The upstream README presents apt-dater as a management-server tool: copy example configuration into ~/.config/apt-dater, list managed hosts, and use SSH plus sudo on those hosts to run package updates. Its 1.0-era releases show the tool maturing around terminal multiplexers, host refresh behavior, localization, reproducible builds, and configuration backend changes. Version 1.0.2 switched configuration handling to libxml2 and included conversion support for older hosts.conf data. ### Adoption history apt-dater's adoption is mostly in Debian-style administration circles. The supplied package metadata records Debian, Ubuntu, Alpine, Nix, and Homebrew packages, which matches a tool aimed at Debian-family update workflows but useful from non-Debian admin workstations too. The project is small compared with APT itself, but its presence in multiple package managers reflects a specific operator need: update many apt-managed machines without installing a heavier orchestration stack. ### How it is used A typical setup creates ~/.config/apt-dater/apt-dater.conf, hosts.conf, and screenrc on the management machine, generates an SSH key such as ~/.ssh/apt-dater, installs the public key on managed hosts, and configures sudo for apt-get and related commands. The executable apt-dater coordinates the host view, while adsh acts as an SSH wrapper that can record sessions. The tool expects managed hosts to have SSH and sudo available. ### Why package nerds care apt-dater is package-nerd software in the literal sense: it is a package-update console for people who administer many apt machines. It exposes the social layer around apt operations: host inventory, SSH identity, sudo policy, terminal multiplexing, and update status. It is also a reminder that not every package-management tool is a solver or repository system. Some are thin operational wrappers around existing package managers, and those wrappers matter when a fleet is still maintained by direct SSH. ### Timeline - 2010s: apt-dater 0.9.x and 1.0.x releases refine cluster support, SSH/session handling, and terminal multiplexer behavior. - 2014: 1.0.0 pre-release series includes libconfig-backed configuration and ADP 7.0 support. - 2015: 1.0.2 switches the configuration engine to libxml2 and adds legacy hosts.conf conversion. - 2021: 1.0.4 release includes tmux and Debian build-environment maintenance fixes. ### Related projects - APT and apt-get are the package tools apt-dater drives on managed hosts. - needrestart appears in upstream sudo examples for detecting services or kernels that need restart after upgrades. - screen and tmux are related terminal multiplexer backends used by apt-dater workflows. ### Sources - - - - source_facts.package-manager ## Security Notes broad file, network, media, or database tool signal. - **Geiger risk:** blue / medium - broad file, network, media, or database tool signal ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.config/apt-dater/apt-dater.conf, ~/.config/apt-dater/hosts.conf, ~/.config/apt-dater/screenrc ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.ssh/apt-dater, ~/.ssh/apt-dater.pub ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - apt-dater - 1.0.4-8+b2: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: apt-dater from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | terminal-based remote package update manager | https://github.com/DE-IBH/apt-dater - Nix - apt-dater: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/ap/apt-dater/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - apt-dater - 1.0.4-8build2: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: apt-dater from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | terminal-based remote package update manager | https://github.com/DE-IBH/apt-dater - apk - apt-dater - 1.0.4-r4: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apt-dater from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | terminal-based remote package update manager | https://github.com/DE-IBH/apt-dater - apk - apt-dater-doc - 1.0.4-r4: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apt-dater-doc from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | terminal-based remote package update manager (documentation) | https://github.com/DE-IBH/apt-dater - apk - apt-dater-lang - 1.0.4-r4: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: apt-dater-lang from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Languages for package apt-dater | https://github.com/DE-IBH/apt-dater ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/apt-dater.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/apt-dater.yml) ## Sources - pkg.so package database - Geiger risk classifier - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - pkgdb category and tag curation - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph