Ubuntu – Install/remove list of packages from command line with apt-get

aptpackage-managementuninstall

I'm writing a Makefile for our team to be able to set up a local environment with all of the software they need to install packages, etc so that they can develop quickly without having to figure out which software to install. Our repository has a PACKAGES file that has all of the required ubuntu packages that can be installed with this little gem:

[unix]$ sudo dpkg --set-selections < PACKAGES
[unix]$ sudo apt-get -u dselect-upgrade

This is great because its easy for everyone to get their environment set up by putting this in a Makefile. The challenge is how to restore their environment when the project is done. How do you uninstall all of the PACKAGES (and their unused dependencies) if you want to clean the environment? Is there an equivalent approach to remove a list of packages from the command line?

Best Answer

Like so...

sudo apt-get remove $(cat packages.txt)

But how do you determine if any of the packages in the file was not already installed on the system or added later from another bit of software? Removing it might break other programs ;) You probably need to remove them one at the time and also check if you can delete them without un-installing any other program.

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Ubuntu – Prevent apt-get remove from uninstalling related packages

Okular depended on some or all of the packages your removed. That's why it was removed too. When you install a program, its dependencies must be installed at the same time, if you remove a dependency, the parent program is removed too.

Programs often use some of the same files as each other. Rather than putting these files into each package, a separate package can be installed to provide them for all of the programs that need them. So, to install a program which needs one of these files, the package containing those files must also be installed. When a package depends on another in this way, it is known as a package dependency. By specifying dependencies, packages can be made smaller and simpler, and duplicates of files and programs are mostly removed.

When you install a program, its dependencies must be installed at the same time. Usually, most of the required dependencies will already be installed, but a few extras may be needed, too. So, when you install a package, don't be surprised if several other packages are installed too - these are just dependencies which are needed for your chosen package to function properly.

Source: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware

Ubuntu – How to install a list of packages using apt-get

Yep, just list all packages in a line separated by a space. e.g.

sudo apt-get install package_name1 package_name2 package_name3 package_name4

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