“reflector” is a script designed for the Arch Linux distribution that automates the process of fetching and sorting mirrorlists. The script can be used to find the fastest and most up-to-date mirrors for the Arch Linux package repositories, which can help to improve download speeds and overall system performance.
When executed, the “reflector” script will query a list of available mirrors and determine which ones are the fastest and most reliable based on a number of criteria, such as geographic location, network speed, and available bandwidth. The script can also be configured to exclude certain mirrors or prioritize specific ones based on user preferences.
One of the key benefits of using “reflector” is that it can help to ensure that users are downloading packages from reliable and up-to-date mirrors. This is particularly important for Arch Linux users, who rely on the distribution’s rolling-release model to receive regular updates and security patches.
To use “reflector”, users must first install the script using their system’s package manager. Once installed, the script can be executed from the command line with various options and arguments to customize its behavior.
reflector Command Examples
1. Get all mirrors, sort for download speed and save them:
# reflector --sort {{rate}} --save {{/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist}}
2. Only get German HTTPS mirrors:
# reflector --country {{Germany}} --protocol {{https}}
3. Only get the 10 recently sync’d mirrors:
# reflector --latest {{10}}