Ubuntu’s package management system is derived from the same system used by the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. Several tools are available for interacting with Ubuntu’s package management system, from simple command-line utilities that can be easily automated by system administrators, to an easy-to-use graphical interface for those new to Ubuntu. In addition to providing access to an organized base of over 60,000 software packages for your Ubuntu computer, the package management facilities also feature dependency resolution capabilities and software update checking. Ubuntu features a comprehensive package management system for installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software. It can't search remote repositories or pull packages from them.Multi-node configuration with Docker-Composeĭistributed Replicated Block Device (DRBD) With dpkg, you can only install local files you've already downloaded yourself.

This saves you from the work of manually finding and downloading the package before installation.

With APT, you can retrieve a file from a remote repository and install it, all in one command. In that way, dpkg acts more as an 'under the hood' tool for APT's more user-friendly interface.

When APT (or its cousin, Apt-get) installs a package, it's actually using dpkg on the back-end to accomplish that. The two interfaces in fact work together, with APT acting like a complete package management tool through the use of dpkg.Ĭonfused? Let's break down the key differences. They can, among other things, install DEB files and list installed packages.īut you might be wondering if they're so similar, why do you need both APT and dpkg? APT and dpkg are both command-line package management interfaces you can use in the terminal on Ubuntu and other Debian-based systems.

Sudo dpkg