Pacman and AUR(yay) Manual

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Update pacman mirror server

  • list status of current active mirrors sudo pacman-mirrors
  • list pacman mirror contry list sudo pacman-mirrors --country-list
  • pacman mirror config file /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist
  • synchronise database with sudo pacman -Syyu
  • downgrade packages sudo pacman -Syyuu

Pacman Usage

system update

  • update the package database and update all packages on the system sudo pacman -Syu
  • force a full refresh of the package database sudo pacman -Syyu
  • allow packages to be downgraded sudo pacman -Syyuu

install/remove package

  • search the Manjaro repositories for available packages pacman -Ss mplayer
  • search installed packages pacman -Qs mplayer
  • sync the files database sudo pacman -Fy
  • search for a package containing a file pacman -F pacman
  • get more information about an installed package pacman -Qi mplayer
  • get more information in the repos pacman -Si mplayer
  • for a list of all installed packages in system pacman -Ql
  • list explicitly-installed packages pacman -Qe
  • list dependency-installed packages pacman -Qd
  • list all foreign package(typically manually downloaded and installed or
    packages removed from the repositories) pacman -Qm
  • install the package and ensure the system is up to date sudo pacman -Syu mplayer
  • install from the local system sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/mplayer-38157-2-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
  • force package installation reason to dependency sudo pacman -S --asdeps package_name
  • force package installation reason to explicitly sudo pacman -S --asexplicit package_name
  • remove a software sudo pacman -R mplayer
  • remove a software and the unneeded dependencies sudo pacman -Rsu mplayer
  • remove a software and everything that depends on it sudo pacman -Rc mplayer
  • remove everything that depends on package name and continue to do so on its dependencies sudo pacman -Rcs mplayer
  • also remove the backup configuration files
    • sudo pacman -Rn mplayer
    • sudo pacman -Rsun mplayer
    • sudo pacman -Rcn mplayer

clear cache

  • list all orphans pacman -Qdt
  • remove all the orphans sudo pacman -Rs $(pacman -Qdtq)
  • download packages without installing sudo pacman -Sw mplayer
  • determine which package owns a file pacman -Qo /usr/bin/mplayer
  • clear the cache of packages that no longer installed sudo pacman -Sc
  • clear the cache completely sudo pacman -Scc
  • a safe way to remove old package cache files paccache -rvk3

pacman configuration

  • pacman’s settings are located in /etc/pacman.conf
  • enable color output by uncommenting the Color line
  • show Pacman Eating Power Pills by adding the ILoveCandy line under Misc Options
  • install downgrade sudo pacman -Syu downgrade
  • enable downgrede from the Arch Linux Archive(ALA) by setings the environment variable: DOWNGRADE_FROM_ALA=1
  • ensure downgraded packages won’t be upgrade again: Update the IgnorePkg line in the /etc/pacman.conf file

AUR Usage(yay)

  • ensure the base-devel package group is installed in full pacman -S --needed base-devel
  • print the list of packages that needs to be updated yay -Pu
  • present package-installation selection menu yay <serach term>
  • clean unneeded dependencies yay -Yc
  • download PKGBUILD from ABS or AUR yay -G <AUR PACKAGE>
  • generate development package database used for devel update yay -Y --gendb
  • Perform system upgrade, but also check for development package updates and use PKGBUILD modification time (not version number) to determine update. yay -Syu --devel --timeupdate

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