pacman

TLDR

Synchronize and update all packages

$ sudo pacman -Syu

Install a package

$ sudo pacman -S package

Remove a package and its dependencies

$ sudo pacman -Rs package

Search the package database

$ pacman -Ss "search_pattern"

Search for packages containing a specific file

$ pacman -F "file_name"

List explicitly installed packages

$ pacman -Qe

List orphan packages

$ pacman -Qtdq

Empty the package cache

$ sudo pacman -Scc

SYNOPSIS

pacman <operation> [options] [targets]

pacman is the package manager for Arch Linux. It combines a simple binary package format with an easy-to-use build system, tracking installed packages with dependency support, package groups, and synchronization with remote repositories.

OPERATIONS

-S, --sync

Synchronize packages from remote repositories

-R, --remove

Remove packages from the system

-Q, --query

Query the local package database

-U, --upgrade

Upgrade or add packages from local files or URLs

-D, --database

Operate on the package database

-F, --files

Query the files database

-T, --deptest

Check if dependencies are satisfied

COMMON OPTIONS

-y, --refresh

Download fresh package databases from servers

-u, --sysupgrade

Upgrade all outdated packages

-s, --search

Search for packages matching a pattern

-i, --info

Display package information

-l, --list

List files owned by a package

-c, --cascade

Remove packages and all dependent packages

-n, --nosave

Remove configuration files during removal

-w, --downloadonly

Download packages without installing

--noconfirm

Bypass all confirmation prompts

--needed

Skip reinstalling up-to-date packages

-d, --nodeps

Skip dependency checks

-q, --quiet

Produce less output

CAVEATS

Always run -Syu instead of just -Sy before installing packages to avoid partial upgrades which can break the system. Configuration files are saved with .pacsave extension when removing packages unless -n is used.

HISTORY

pacman was created by Judd Vinet for Arch Linux and first released in 2002. It is the front-end to libalpm (Arch Linux Package Management library), allowing alternative front-ends like pamac or octopi.