The apt-cache command is a utility provided by the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT) system, which is used to manage software packages on Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions. It allows you to search for and list the available packages in the APT package repository, as well as show information about a specific package.
For example, you can use the apt-cache search command to search for a package that provides a particular utility or library, like this:
# apt-cache search nginx
This will list all the packages that match the search term “nginx”. To show information about a specific package, you can use the apt-cache show command, like this:
# apt-cache show nginx
This will display detailed information about the nginx package, such as its version, dependencies, and the files it installs.
If you encounter the below error while running the apt-cache command:
apt-cache: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| OS Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install apt |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install apt |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install apt |
| Fedora | dnf install apt |
| Raspbian | apt-get install apt |
apt-cache Command Examples
1. Search for a package in your current sources:
# apt-cache search {{query}}
2. Show information about a package:
# apt-cache show {{package}}
3. Show whether a package is installed and up to date:
# apt-cache policy {{package}}
4. Show dependencies for a package:
# apt-cache depends {{package}}
5. Show packages that depend on a particular package:
# apt-cache rdepends {{package}}