pacman-d

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr pacman database

pacman -D <option> <package(s)>

--asdeps
    Mark packages as dependencies (needed by other packages).

--asexplicit
    Mark packages as explicitly installed (installed by the user).

--backup
    Backup existing package files before installing.

--confirm
    Always ask for confirmation before proceeding.

--dbpath <path>
    Specify an alternative database location.

--nodeps
    Skip dependency checks.

--noepoch
    Do not include epoch in version strings.

--force
    Bypass file conflicts.

--ignore <package(s)>
    Ignore upgrades for a package, multiple packages separated by commas.

--ignoregroup <group(s)>
    Ignore upgrades for a group, multiple groups separated by commas.

--noconfirm
    Do not ask for any confirmation.

--root <path>
    Define a new root directory to use.

Pacman is the Arch Linux package manager. The pacman -D command provides utilities to directly manipulate the package database. This is generally discouraged as it can lead to inconsistencies and a broken system if used improperly. It's primarily intended for debugging, recovery, or advanced package management scenarios where standard pacman operations are insufficient or unavailable. Using these commands incorrectly can render your system unusable, so proceed with extreme caution. It's crucial to understand the implications of each option before using it, and to ideally have a backup of your system before making any changes to the database directly. Consult the pacman man page and Arch Linux wiki for detailed explanations and recommended practices before utilizing pacman -D.

Direct database manipulation should be a last resort. Incorrect usage can severely damage your system. Always back up your database before using pacman -D. Carefully read the manual page and understand the implications of each option. Consider using standard pacman commands before resorting to pacman -D.

The --asdeps and --asexplicit flags are crucial for managing package dependencies. Misuse can lead to orphaned packages or prevent necessary updates.

Direct database manipulation can easily lead to database corruption, especially when combined with --nodeps or --force.

pacman(8), pacman-S(8), pacman-Q(8), pacman-R(8)