The \u201capt\u201d or \u201cAdvance Package Tool\u201d is a useful command in the Terminal that is used for updating packages, removing a specific package, and also for installing a specific package. The \u201capt\u201d command can be used in multiple approaches along with multiple options.<\/p>\n
- \n
- List Installed and the Available Packages with the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n
- List Specific Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n
- List Packages Matching a Pattern using the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n
- List the Number of Installed Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n
- List Upgradable Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n
- List All Versions of Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Open Terminal<\/strong><\/h3>\n
As you will use the \u201capt\u201d command in the Terminal of your Ubuntu System, open the Terminal Directly with the \u201cctrl+alt+t\u201d command:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-1.png\")
<\/p>\nList all Installed and Available Packages <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The \u201capt\u201d command can be used to list all the Installed as well as the Available Packages in the Repository using the \u201capt\u201d command. To list the Installed and Available Packages, the \u201capt\u201d command along with the \u201clist\u201d command is used:<\/p>\n
apt list<\/div><\/div>\nThis will list all the available and Installed packages in the Terminal:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-2.png\")
<\/p>\nThe \u201clist\u201d command outputs all the available packages. Although the listed packages in the Terminal are in large amounts, you can filter the list to only list the first 10 lines while retrieving the installed and available packages. To filter only the first 10 lines, use the \u201chead\u201d command:<\/p>\n
apt list |<\/span> head<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will only display the first 10 packages that are either available or installed on your Ubuntu System:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-3.png\")
<\/p>\nTo list solely the installed packages in the Terminal, you can use the \u201c–installed\u201d option:<\/p>\n
apt list --installed<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will filter and list only the packages that are currently installed on your Ubuntu System:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-4.png\")
<\/p>\nAs the list is too long for you to read, you can also make it easier to read by using the \u201cless\u201d command with the \u201capt list\u201d Command:<\/p>\n
apt list --installed<\/span> |<\/span> less<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nA new window will appear in the Terminal that will list the Packages:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-5.png\")
<\/p>\nIn this new window in the Terminal, you can now manually see the packages by pressing Enter. Pressing Enter will list a new package and so on, which makes it easier for the user to read the packages:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-6.gif\")
<\/p>\nOnce you are done reading the list, you can exit the packages list window by pressing \u201cq\u201d.<\/p>\n
List Specific Package using \u201capt\u201d Command<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Apart from listing all the packages which, in some cases, is hectic for you to read, you can list a specific package as well. With the \u201capt list\u201d command, you can specify the package you want to be listed in the Terminal by writing only the package name:<\/p>\n
apt list <<\/span>packageName><\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, we searched for the \u201cpython3\u201d package using the \u201capt list\u201d Command:<\/p>\n
apt list python3<\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will list both the available and the installed package of \u201cpython3\u201d:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-7.png\")
<\/p>\nTo only list the Installed package, the \u201c–installed\u201d command can be used. Using our previous case, to list only the Installed Packages of \u201cpython3\u201d, the command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list python3 --installed<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will only list the Installed \u201cPython3\u201d Packages:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-8.png\")
<\/p>\nThe [installed, automatic] <\/strong>message in front of the listed package in the Terminal indicates the package was installed automatically as a dependency for another software package.<\/p>\n
You can also list the Information about a specific package in the Terminal with the \u201capt show\u201d command having the syntax:<\/p>\n
apt show <<\/span>packageName><\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, to list the information about the \u201cpython3\u201d package installed on our Ubuntu System, the \u201capt show\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt show python3<\/div><\/div>\nThe information about the \u201cPython3\u201d package will be displayed in the Terminal:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-9.png\")
<\/p>\nList Packages matching a Pattern Using the \u201capt\u201d Command<\/strong><\/h3>\n
With the \u201capt\u201d command, you can also list only specific packages that match a specified pattern. The \u201cpattern<\/strong>\u201d command is used along with the \u201capt list\u201d command to list only the specific packages that match the given pattern. The pattern command can either be used to list the Packages that start with a specified pattern, or that end with the specified pattern.<\/p>\n
To List Packages starting with a specific pattern, the \u201cpattern\u201d command along with the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern '<startingPattern<strong>>*'<\/span><\/<\/span>strong><\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, to list only the packages that start with the word \u201cfir\u201d, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern 'fir*'<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will display all the Packages that start with the word \u201cfir\u201d:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-10.png\")
<\/p>\nSimilarly, to list all the packages starting with the word \u201cclon\u201d, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern 'clon*'<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nAs you can see in the Terminal, only the packages that start with \u201cclon\u201d are listed:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-11.png\")
<\/p>\nNow, to List Packages ending with a specific pattern, the \u201capt list\u201d command along with the \u201cpattern\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern '*<endingPattern>'<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, to list all the packages that end with the word \u201ccompact\u201d, the \u201capt list\u201d Command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern '*compact'<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nAs you can see in the Terminal, only the Packages that end with \u201ccompact\u201d are displayed:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-12.png\")
<\/p>\nSimilarly, to list only the packages ending with the word \u201cdep\u201d, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list pattern '*dep'<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will only display the Packages ending with \u201cdep\u201d:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-13.png\")
<\/p>\nList the Number of Installed Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Using the \u201capt\u201d command along with the \u201clist\u201d command, you can list the number of installed packages on Ubuntu. To list the Number of Installed packages on your Ubuntu System, the \u201cwc -l\u201d option is used along with the \u201capt list\u201d command:<\/p>\n
apt list --installed<\/span> |<\/span> wc<\/span> -l<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, the Terminal displays 1904 packages that are currently installed on our Ubuntu System:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-14.png\")
<\/p>\nYou can also list the number of installed packages of a specific Application on your Ubuntu System. To list the number of Installed Packages, use the name of the Package along with the command:<\/p>\n
apt list <<\/span>packageName><\/span> --installed<\/span> |<\/span> wc<\/span> -l<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, to list the Number of Installed Packages of the Firefox Application on our Ubuntu System, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list firefox --installed<\/span> |<\/span> wc<\/span> -l<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal displays 2 installed packages of Firefox on our Ubuntu System:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-15.png\")
<\/p>\nList the Upgradeable Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You can also list the Upgradeable Packages on your Ubuntu System using the \u201capt\u201d command. To list all the Packages on your Ubuntu System that require an Upgrade, sync your Ubuntu repository first with the \u201capt update\u201d Command:<\/p>\n
sudo<\/span> apt update<\/div><\/div>\nThe \u201capt update\u201d command will look for the packages that require any upgrade:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-16.png\")
<\/p>\nNow, to list all the Packages requiring an Upgrade, use the \u201capt list\u201d command along with the \u201c–upgradeable\u201d option:<\/p>\n
apt list --upgradeable<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nOnly the Packages that require an Upgrade will be listed in the Terminal:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-17.png\")
<\/p>\nList All Versions of Packages using the \u201capt\u201d Command<\/strong><\/h3>\n
With the \u201capt\u201d Command, you can also verify a specific version of a package installed and available on your Ubuntu System. To list all the Versions of Installed and Available Packages on your Ubuntu System, use the \u201capt list\u201d command along with the \u201c–all-versions\u201d which filters and lists all the versions of the Packages:<\/p>\n
apt list --all-versions<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nAll the Versions of the Installed and Available Packages will be displayed in the Terminal:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-18.png\")
<\/p>\nYou can also filter your list with a specific Package Name with the Syntax:<\/p>\n
apt list --all-versions<\/span> <<\/span>packageName><\/span><\/div><\/div>\nIn our case, to list all the Installed and Available Versions of Packages of the Firefox Application, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list --all-versions<\/span> firefox<\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will display all the Versions of the Firefox Application:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-19.png\")
<\/p>\nSimilarly, to list all the Package Versions of \u201csudo\u201d, the \u201capt list\u201d command will be:<\/p>\n
apt list --all-versions<\/span> sudo<\/span><\/div><\/div>\nThe Terminal will display all the Packages Version as follows:<\/p>\n
![](\"http:\/\/linuxways.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/word-image-23053-20.png\")
<\/p>\nConclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Keeping track of the packages Installed on your Ubuntu System is crucial for troubleshooting any dependency or error in the Packages or your overall System. With the \u201capt\u201d command, you can easily list all the Installed as well as the Available Packages, you can list specific packages installed on your Ubuntu System, and you can also list the upgradeable and the number of installed packages on your Ubuntu System, and you can modify your search with the \u201cpattern\u201d command. This article explained each methodology in detail with examples.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The \u201capt\u201d command is useful in listing the Installed Packages on Ubuntu, and it can be used in various ways with multiple options to modify the search.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":23074,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ubuntu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linuxways.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}