equery

List all installed packages

$ equery list '*'

$ equery list -po [package1 package2 ...]

$ equery depends [package]

$ equery depgraph [package]

$ equery files --tree [package]

equery [global options] command [command options] [arguments]

-h, --help
    Show help message and exit.

-q, --quiet
    Suppress output except for errors.

-v, --verbose
    Increase verbosity.

--nocolor
    Disable color output.

uses [package-name]
    Lists the USE flags a package was built with.

files [package-name]
    Lists the files installed by a package.

which [file-name]
    Finds the package that owns a specific file.

list [package-name]
    Lists packages matching the name. Supports wildcards.

size [package-name]
    Calculates the installed size of a package.

depends [package-name]
    Lists the dependencies of a package.

provides [virtual/package]
    Lists packages that provide a particular virtual or package.

hasuse [use-flag]
    Lists packages that use a specific USE flag.

attributelist
    Lists valid attributes to use with --attribute.

--attribute
    Displays the selected package attribute for a package.

--tree
    Displays the results in a tree format (where applicable).

The equery command is a suite of tools primarily used in Gentoo Linux for querying the package database. It allows users to quickly and efficiently search for packages based on various criteria such as name, version, installed files, and dependencies.

Equery provides a unified interface to gather information that would otherwise require multiple commands and manual inspection of package metadata. It helps users manage their Gentoo system by facilitating tasks like finding the package providing a specific file, identifying packages depending on a specific library, or listing all installed packages matching a pattern.

It's heavily used to debug issues with package installations, resolve dependency conflicts and general system administration. It's very helpful to automate gentoo administration tasks.

Equery is part of the gentoolkit package and its functionality is primarily geared towards Gentoo's Portage package management system.

Equery relies on the Portage package database. Ensure the database is up-to-date for accurate results. Use `emerge --sync` to synchronize the portage tree.

Many equery commands accept package specifications, which can include version constraints. Examples: 'app-category/package', 'app-category/package-1.2.3', '=app-category/package-1.2.3'.

The 'list' command supports wildcards (*) for pattern matching.

Equery was developed as part of the gentoolkit project to improve package management efficiency in Gentoo Linux. It has evolved over time, with new features and bug fixes being added to enhance its capabilities and address user needs. It's the 'go to tool' to gather information about packages.

emerge(1), eix(1)