yaourt

Synchronize and update all packages (including AUR)

$ yaourt -Syua

$ yaourt -S [package]

$ yaourt -Rs [package]

$ yaourt -Ss [query]

$ yaourt -Q

yaourt [options] [package(s)]

yaourt -S package_name           # Install a package from official repos or AUR
yaourt -Ss search_term         # Search for packages in official repos and AUR
yaourt -Syu --aur              # Synchronize official repos and update all installed packages, including AUR ones
yaourt -G package_name           # Download a PKGBUILD and associated files for a package
yaourt -Cd                     # Clean cached build directories

-S, --sync
    Synchronize packages. Used for installing, upgrading, or querying packages from official repositories and AUR.

-Sy
    Synchronize official package databases.

-Syu
    Synchronize databases and upgrade all installed packages, including AUR ones if detected.

-Ss <term>
    Search for packages in official repositories and AUR matching <term>.

-Si <pkg>
    Display information about a package from official repos or AUR.

-U, --upgrade
    Upgrade or add local packages.

-R, --remove
    Remove packages.

-Q, --query
    Query the package database.

-G, --getpkgbuild <pkg>
    Download the PKGBUILD and associated files for a package into the current directory.

-Cd
    Clean orphaned build directories used by yaourt.

--devel
    Check and update development packages (e.g., -git, -svn packages).

--aur
    Limit operations exclusively to the AUR, e.g., 'yaourt -Ss --aur'.

--noconfirm
    Bypass all confirmation prompts.
Use with extreme caution.

--diff
    Show PKGBUILD and .install file differences before building.
(Highly recommended security practice).

yaourt (Yet AnOther User Repository Tool) was a popular, albeit now deprecated, command-line tool for Arch Linux users that significantly simplified interaction with the Arch User Repository (AUR). It acted as a wrapper around pacman, Arch's native package manager, extending its capabilities to include packages available in the AUR. Its primary function was to automate the process of searching, installing, and updating AUR packages, handling dependencies, and offering a more user-friendly interface compared to manual AUR package compilation.

While pacman manages official repository packages, yaourt bridged the gap by allowing users to effortlessly install community-maintained software not found in the official repos. It would fetch PKGBUILDs, prompt the user for review, build packages using makepkg, and then install them via pacman. Despite its initial popularity for its convenience and rich feature set, yaourt has fallen out of maintenance and is no longer recommended for use due to security concerns and the emergence of more robust and secure alternatives.

yaourt is officially deprecated and no longer maintained. It has known security vulnerabilities and design flaws that make it unsafe for current use. It is strongly advised that users migrate to actively maintained and more secure AUR helpers like yay or paru. Continued use of yaourt can expose your system to unnecessary risks, including potential privilege escalation if not configured or used correctly, and may lead to system instability due to unmanaged dependencies or outdated package builds.

Given yaourt's deprecation and security issues, users should switch to modern, actively maintained AUR helpers. The most popular and recommended alternatives are yay and paru. These tools offer similar pacman-like syntax, improved security features (e.g., building in a dedicated, unprivileged directory by default), and are continuously updated to align with pacman and Arch Linux changes.

When using any AUR helper, it is paramount to always review the PKGBUILD file before installing a package. This file dictates what commands will be executed on your system during the build process. yaourt (and its successors) provided options like --diff to review these changes. Never install AUR packages from untrusted sources or without reviewing their PKGBUILDs, as malicious scripts could compromise your system. Always run AUR helpers as a regular user, and let makepkg (which runs without root privileges) handle the build, with the final installation step prompted for sudo.

yaourt emerged as one of the earliest and most widely adopted AUR helpers for Arch Linux, gaining significant popularity due to its pacman-like syntax and automated handling of AUR package installation, which was a considerable improvement over manual compilation. It filled a crucial gap by simplifying access to the vast Arch User Repository. Its development thrived for several years, making it the de-facto standard AUR helper for many Arch users.

However, around 2018-2019, its maintenance waned, and security concerns began to surface, particularly regarding its default behavior of building packages in /tmp and its less robust handling of makepkg execution. Concurrently, new, more secure, and actively developed AUR helpers like yay and paru began to emerge, addressing many of yaourt's shortcomings and offering more sophisticated features. As a result, yaourt was officially deprecated and is no longer recommended or supported by the Arch Linux community.

pacman(8), makepkg(8), yay(8), paru(8)