aptd

aptd [OPTION…]

-h, --help
    Display help and exit

-V, --version
    Output version information

-c, --config-dir DIR
    Use specified configuration directory

-l, --lock-dir DIR
    Use specified lock directory

--log-level LEVEL
    Set logging level (debug, info, warning, error)

--pid-file FILE
    Write PID to specified file

--no-dbus
    Disable D-Bus activation (daemon mode only)

aptd is the executable for the APT Daemon, a D-Bus-activated background service in Debian-based systems like Ubuntu. It enables graphical package managers (e.g., Ubuntu Software, GNOME Software, Synaptic) to handle installs, upgrades, removals, and other APT operations without terminal access or constant root privileges.

Using Polkit for authorization and transaction-based queuing, aptd processes requests asynchronously, emitting progress signals over D-Bus. It supports features like media change prompts, dependency resolution, and cache refreshing. The daemon starts on-demand, minimizing resource use, and logs to syslog or files.

Direct invocation is rare—system services manage it—but useful for debugging. Part of the aptdaemon package, it bridges low-level APT tools with user-friendly GUIs, improving desktop integration.

Not designed for interactive use; prefer GUI tools or apt. Runs with elevated privileges via Polkit—ensure proper permissions. May conflict with manual apt-get if locks overlap.
Deprecated in some distros favoring native apt DBus interfaces.

aptd starts via D-Bus; test with /usr/libexec/apt-dbus-daemon or symlink. Check status: systemctl --user status aptd.

Lock errors if apt running; 'No polkit auth' needs pkexec or auth-agent. View logs: journalctl -u aptd.

Introduced in Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic) as part of aptdaemon for GNOME Software Center. Developed by Sebastian Heinlein; evolved for systemd integration. Largely superseded by fwupd and packagekit in newer GNOME/Fedora but remains in Ubuntu/Mint.

apt(8), apt-get(8), dpkg(1), synaptic(8), software-properties-gtk(8)