macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install aptlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew / rank 4294
Install apt with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman
Advanced Package Tool. Version 3.3.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-31. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install apt.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add aptAlpine Linux edge package indexes · apt · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install aptDebian stable package indexes · apt · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install aptFedora Rawhide package metadata · apt · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#aptnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ap/apt/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S aptArch Linux sync databases · apt · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
overview
Package summary
Advanced Package Tool
Project links
Commands and aliases
- apt
- apt-cache
- apt-cdrom
- apt-config
- apt-ftparchive
- apt-get
- apt-mark
- apt-sortpkgs
history
Project history and usage
APT, the Advanced Package Tool, is Debian's high-level package acquisition, dependency resolution, and installation interface. It turned dpkg-based systems from local package installers into repository-driven operating systems.
Project history
Debian's early package management centered on dpkg and dselect. The official Debian project history names Debian 2.1 Slink, released March 9, 1999, as the release that introduced apt as a new package-management interface and describes it as a key technical innovation.
APT grew into a family of tools and libraries. The Debian Administrator's Handbook describes apt-get as the first command-line front end developed within the APT project, with apt later added as a more interactive command-line front end while apt-get retained a stable scripted interface.
The system's configuration model also became part of Debian culture: /etc/apt/sources.list and sources.list.d define repositories, apt.conf and apt.conf.d define behavior, preferences files define pinning, and auth.conf carries machine credentials for authenticated repositories.
Adoption history
APT's adoption tracks Debian's growth. Debian's own history says apt addressed issues from Debian's continuing expansion and established a new paradigm for package acquisition and installation on open source operating systems.
Ubuntu inherited APT as a core system interface, and the supplied metadata records apt packages or compatibility packages across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora/dnf, Arch/pacman, Alpine/apk, and Nix. Some non-Debian entries exist for compatibility or tooling rather than as the native system package manager.
APT also shaped the UX expectations for later package managers: update an index, install by name, resolve dependencies, upgrade the system, pin repositories, and use signed repository metadata.
How it is used
The everyday flow is apt update to refresh package indexes, apt install package to install dependencies and packages, apt remove or apt purge to remove software, and apt upgrade or apt full-upgrade for system updates.
Scripts and maintainer tooling often use apt-get because Debian documents its public interface as stable for automation. Humans often use apt because it has interactive defaults and output tuned for direct terminal use.
Repository configuration is text-file driven: sources.list controls where packages come from, apt.conf controls acquisition and dpkg behavior, and auth.conf stores credentials for authenticated archive access.
Why package nerds care
APT is one of the defining package-manager designs. It made repository metadata, dependency solving, local package archives, upgrade planning, and signed distribution channels normal parts of Linux administration.
For package nerds, APT is also the origin point for countless secondary tools: mirror managers, repository publishers, pinning front ends, unattended-upgrade systems, PPA tooling, and fleet update wrappers. Understanding APT explains a large fraction of Debian and Ubuntu packaging behavior.
Its split between dpkg as the local package database/installer and APT as the repository-aware resolver remains one of the clearest examples of layered package-management architecture.
Timeline
- 1995: Debian 0.93R5 uses dpkg after base-system installation.
- 1999: Debian 2.1 Slink introduces apt as a new package-management interface.
- 2000s: apt-get becomes the standard command-line front end for scripted Debian package operations.
- 2010s: apt becomes the recommended interactive front end while apt-get remains the stable scripting interface.
Related projects
- dpkg is the lower-level Debian package installer and database underneath APT.
- aptitude, Synaptic, wajig, and other front ends build around APT or the Debian package model.
- aptly and apt-dater are downstream tools in this batch that manage repositories or remote updates for apt-based systems.
Sources
- https://manpages.debian.org/unstable/apt/apt.conf.5.en.html
- https://manpages.debian.org/unstable/apt/apt_auth.conf.5.en.html
- https://manpages.debian.org/unstable/apt/sources.list.5.en.html
- https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-guide/index.en.html
- https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-handbook/sect.apt-get.en.html
- https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/releases.en.html
- source_facts.package-manager
security posture
Risk level: blue
broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.
Risk classifier
blue risk · medium confidence · tool
Why
- broad file, network, media, or database tool signal
Signals
- text:ftp,archive
Install behavior
- No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
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
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
/etc/apt/apt.conf/etc/apt/apt.conf.d//etc/apt/sources.list/etc/apt/sources.list.d/
Credential files
Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.
- Unix
/etc/apt/auth.conf/etc/apt/auth.conf.d/*.conf
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
apt | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-cache | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-cdrom | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-config | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-ftparchive | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-get | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-mark | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
apt-sortpkgs | executable | indexed executable | Discovered from the local executable index. |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-08-03
manager version3.3.2
manager updated2026-07-31
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:apt |
|---|---|
| Version | 3.3.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Homepage | https://wiki.debian.org/Apt |
| Last updated | 2026-07-31T11:59:03Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Bottle | not recorded |
| Service | none declared |
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
apt 3.0.3
commandline package manager
sudo apt install apt- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- 11 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 10 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
apt-doc 3.0.3
documentation for APT
sudo apt install apt-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
apt-transport-https 3.0.3
transitional package for https support
sudo apt install apt-transport-https- Section: oldlibs
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
apt-utils 3.0.3
package management related utility programs
sudo apt install apt-utils- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
libapt-pkg-dev 3.0.3
development files for APT's libapt-pkg and libapt-inst
sudo apt install libapt-pkg-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
libapt-pkg-doc 3.0.3
documentation for APT development
sudo apt install libapt-pkg-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Debian apt95%
libapt-pkg7.0 3.0.3
package management runtime library
sudo apt install libapt-pkg7.0- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 12 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Nix95%
apt
nix profile install nixpkgs#apt- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
apt 2.7.14build2
commandline package manager
sudo apt install apt- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- 11 dependencies
- 1 provides
- 10 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
apt-doc 2.7.14build2
documentation for APT
sudo apt install apt-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
apt-transport-https 2.7.14build2
transitional package for https support
sudo apt install apt-transport-https- Section: universe/admin
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
apt-utils 2.7.14build2
package management related utility programs
sudo apt install apt-utils- Section: admin
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 6 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
libapt-pkg-dev 2.7.14build2
development files for APT's libapt-pkg and libapt-inst
sudo apt install libapt-pkg-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
libapt-pkg-doc 2.7.14build2
documentation for APT development
sudo apt install libapt-pkg-doc- Section: doc
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: apt
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
Ubuntu apt95%
libapt-pkg6.0t64 2.7.14build2
package management runtime library
sudo apt install libapt-pkg6.0t64- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: apt
- 12 dependencies
- 2 provides
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
apk95%
apt 3.2.0-r0
APT package management tool
https://salsa.debian.org/apt-team/apt
sudo apk add apt- License: GPL-2.0-or-later
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: apt
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Apt
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- pkg.so package database
- pkgdb category and tag curation