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Linux Package Managers Compared: APT, DNF, Pacman and Zypper (linuxblog.io)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/linux@programming.dev
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If you’ve hopped between Linux distributions as much as I have, you know that each major family of distros introduces you to a different package manager. At first, it can feel a bit daunting (apt on Debian/Ubuntu, dnf on RHEL/Fedora, pacman on Arch, and zypper on openSUSE), but these tools all serve the same purpose of installing and updating software.

After using Linux for years (across everything from Debian to Arch-based systems), I’ve grown comfortable with all of them. Even niche distros like Slackware, Gentoo, and Void. In this post, I’ll break down the major package managers, how they differ, and what it’s like to use each one. We’ll also touch on the universal package formats (Snap and Flatpak) that aim to work across distributions, and lastly mention a few niche package management systems. Let’s dive in!

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[–] 2 points 1 year ago (17 children)

Also most users don't even have to use a package manager directly, as there are GUI frontends that manages all of this with mouse clicks. In that case, the underlying package manager doesn't even matter, only the repositories you access to, do. I use easy to remember aliases and when I need some more features, i just look them up quickly. That does all the job I need for the most part.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    KDE's Discover is pretty magical. In Plasma 6, you don't even need to install a bunch of separate plugins for it. Except I think they still make you sign off on Flathub (but give you instructions on how to do it)

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Discover is probably the worst app in the entire KDE suite. It's the only aspect of the Linux desktop that frustrates me, and I'm nearing 10 years of full time Linux desktop usage.

    Oh, you accidentally opened Discover? Now you gotta sit and twiddle your thumbs while it updates/downloads a bunch of stuff very slowly with no way to interrupt it. It also locks the system package manager, so you literally cannot do anything else package management related until Discover slowly decides to finish doing something you never asked it to do.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Huh. I cannot personally relate to anything you've said there. Maybe we're using different versions? The only issue I've had with package managers (aside from Flatpak file access, snap... just everything to do with snaps, and Pacman acting like it's never heard of any of my mirrors if I haven't updated in a couple of weeks, and official Nvidia drivers breaking my xorg.conf in half) is wiping out my entire desktop suite through Synaptic back in the day (entirely my own fault).
    I suppose there are worse ways to learn to read the "these packages will be removed section".

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    I also don't like how seemingly some parts of KDE like themes and widgets don't seem to update through the terminal during a normal system update, you have to remember to open Discover once every few weeks and update them all separately.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    But Discover on an Arch based system (EndeavourOS) isn't that great. It only supports Flatpak, not the system packages.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (9 children)

    Who are 'most users'?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (8 children)

    I don't understand what you mean. What's not understandable about "most users"?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (7 children)

    I don't know these linux people that don't use package managers. So I asked.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    I don't know what exactly you want to know actually. It's a generic wording / term. I'm not talking about a specific user group or something like that. I'm just saying, "people" do not HAVE to use a commandline package manager, if the system is configured to use a GUI manager for the packages.

    In example SteamOS on the Steam Deck is configured in a way the user never need to use the terminal. There is the gaming mode, without a desktop and a click updates the system. And in desktop mode there is Discover pre-configured with Flathub for Flatpaks. Users don't have to use the terminal to install new applications or update them. Just as an example. I think openSUSE also has some GUI for that and doesn't Linux Mint have such a GUI too? Manjaro comes with their Pamac graphical tool.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (5 children)

    Ok, I can see that in SteamOS, users that don't directly interact with a package manager. That seems likely.

    I would say that 'most users' of just about any linux distro know all about command line package managers.
    So, my 'most users' and your 'most users' don't seem to be the same people.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

    I said "most users" in the sense of "nobody has to" and refer to everyone, including you and me. We don't have to use the commandline to update package managers, if we use a GUI for it. I didn't mean a specific number of people do or don't.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Well, that's interesting. I guess linux really is going more mainstream, if that's the more common user experience. The users I know are mostly professionals that enjoy tinkering under the hood. Thanks for your perspective, stranger.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I guess linux really is going more mainstream, if that's the more common user experience.

    They didn't say that. They said most users don't have to. That says literally nothing about how many people do or do not use a GUI versus the command line. All that means is every modern distro has a GUI built in.

    It's like you didn't even read their previous comments.

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