1Mangesh1 Package Manager Reference: Homebrew, APT, DNF/YUM
Homebrew (macOS)
Install, Remove, Upgrade
brew install <package> # Install a formula
brew install <package>@<version> # Install specific version
brew uninstall <package> # Remove a package
brew reinstall <package> # Reinstall (useful after macOS upgrades)
brew update # Update Homebrew itself and tap metadata
brew upgrade # Upgrade all outdated packages
brew upgrade <package> # Upgrade one package
brew outdated # List outdated packages
Search and Inspect
brew search <term> # Search by name or partial match
brew info <package> # Version, dependencies, install path
brew list # All installed formulae
brew list --versions # Installed formulae with versions
brew deps --tree <package> # Dependency tree
Casks (GUI Applications)
Casks manage macOS GUI applications (.app bundles, installers, fonts).
brew install --cask <app> # Install a GUI app
brew list --cask # List installed casks
brew upgrade --cask # Upgrade all casks
brew uninstall --cask <app> # Remove a cask
brew search --cask <term> # Search casks
Taps (Third-Party Repositories)
brew tap <user/repo> # Add a third-party repository
brew tap # List all taps
brew untap <user/repo> # Remove a tap
brew install <user/repo>/<formula> # Install from a specific tap
Brewfile (Reproducible Setups)
brew bundle dump --file=~/Brewfile # Export current packages
brew bundle dump --force --file=~/Brewfile # Overwrite existing Brewfile
brew bundle install --file=~/Brewfile # Install from Brewfile
brew bundle check --file=~/Brewfile # Check what is missing
brew bundle cleanup --file=~/Brewfile # Remove unlisted packages
Example Brewfile:
tap "homebrew/bundle"
tap "hashicorp/tap"
brew "git"
brew "node@20"
brew "python@3.12"
cask "visual-studio-code"
cask "docker"
mas "Xcode", id: 497799835 # Mac App Store (requires mas)
Services
brew services start <service> # Start (e.g., postgresql, redis)
brew services stop <service> # Stop
brew services restart <service> # Restart
brew services list # List all managed services
brew services run <service> # Run once, no startup registration
Cleanup
brew cleanup # Remove old versions and stale downloads
brew cleanup -n # Dry run
brew cleanup -s # Remove all cache files
du -sh "$(brew --cache)" # Show cache size
Pin Packages
Pinning prevents a package from being upgraded by brew upgrade.
brew pin <package>
brew unpin <package>
brew list --pinned
Troubleshooting
brew doctor # Run diagnostic checks
brew update-reset # Reset to clean state (re-fetches taps)
brew --prefix <package> # Show install path
brew install -v <package> # Verbose install for debugging
APT (Debian / Ubuntu)
Install and Remove
sudo apt install <package> # Install
sudo apt install -y <package> # Install without prompting
sudo apt install <package>=<version> # Specific version
sudo apt remove <package> # Remove (keeps config files)
sudo apt purge <package> # Remove including config files
sudo dpkg -i <file.deb> # Install local .deb file
Update vs Upgrade vs Full-Upgrade
sudo apt update # Refresh package index (installs nothing)
sudo apt upgrade # Upgrade installed packages (never removes)
sudo apt full-upgrade # Upgrade, removing obsolete packages if needed
Always run apt update before apt upgrade.
Search and Inspect
apt search <term> # Search by name or description
apt show <package> # Package details
apt list --installed # List installed packages
apt list --upgradable # List upgradable packages
apt-cache policy <package> # Version and repository info
PPAs (Personal Package Archives)
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:<user>/<ppa-name>
sudo apt update
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:<user>/<ppa-name> # Remove a PPA
# List configured repos
grep -r --include='*.list' '^deb ' /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
On newer Ubuntu, repos use DEB822 .sources files in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/.
Hold Packages
sudo apt-mark hold <package> # Prevent upgrades
sudo apt-mark unhold <package> # Allow upgrades again
apt-mark showhold # List held packages
Cleanup
sudo apt autoremove # Remove orphaned dependencies
sudo apt clean # Clear local package cache
sudo apt autoclean # Remove only outdated cached packages
DNF / YUM (RHEL / Fedora / CentOS)
DNF replaced YUM starting with Fedora 22 and RHEL 8. Command syntax is nearly identical.
Install and Remove
sudo dnf install <package> # Install
sudo dnf install -y <package> # Install without prompting
sudo dnf remove <package> # Remove
sudo dnf reinstall <package> # Reinstall
Upgrade
sudo dnf upgrade # Upgrade all packages
sudo dnf check-update # Check for updates without installing
sudo dnf upgrade <package> # Upgrade one package
dnf update is an alias for dnf upgrade.
Search and Inspect
dnf search <term> # Search
dnf info <package> # Package details
dnf list installed # List installed
dnf list updates # List available updates
dnf provides <file-or-command> # Find which package provides a file
Repositories
dnf repolist # List enabled repos
dnf repolist all # List all repos
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo <url> # Add a repo
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled <repo-id> # Enable a repo
sudo dnf config-manager --set-disabled <repo-id># Disable a repo
Version Lock
sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-versionlock # Install the plugin
sudo dnf versionlock add <package> # Lock a package
sudo dnf versionlock delete <package> # Unlock
dnf versionlock list # List locked packages
Cleanup
sudo dnf autoremove # Remove unneeded dependencies
sudo dnf clean all # Clean cached metadata and packages
sudo dnf clean packages # Clean cached packages only
Cross-Platform Comparison
| Task | Homebrew (macOS) | APT (Debian/Ubuntu) | DNF (RHEL/Fedora) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refresh package index | brew update |
sudo apt update |
sudo dnf check-update |
| Install | brew install pkg |
sudo apt install pkg |
sudo dnf install pkg |
| Remove | brew uninstall pkg |
sudo apt remove pkg |
sudo dnf remove pkg |
| Upgrade all | brew upgrade |
sudo apt upgrade |
sudo dnf upgrade |
| Upgrade one | brew upgrade pkg |
sudo apt install --only-upgrade pkg |
sudo dnf upgrade pkg |
| Search | brew search term |
apt search term |
dnf search term |
| Package info | brew info pkg |
apt show pkg |
dnf info pkg |
| List installed | brew list |
apt list --installed |
dnf list installed |
| List outdated | brew outdated |
apt list --upgradable |
dnf list updates |
| Hold / pin version | brew pin pkg |
sudo apt-mark hold pkg |
sudo dnf versionlock add pkg |
| Remove unused deps | brew autoremove |
sudo apt autoremove |
sudo dnf autoremove |
| Clean cache | brew cleanup |
sudo apt clean |
sudo dnf clean all |
| Diagnose issues | brew doctor |
sudo apt --fix-broken install |
sudo dnf distro-sync |
| Add third-party repo | brew tap user/repo |
add-apt-repository ppa:u/repo |
dnf config-manager --add-repo |