Pacman Package Manager

Comprehensive Pacman commands and workflows for Arch Linux package management.

Installation & Updates

Basic Package Operations

Command	Description
sudo pacman -Syu	Update system (sync + upgrade)
sudo pacman -S package_name	Install package
sudo pacman -R package_name	Remove package
sudo pacman -Rs package_name	Remove package and dependencies
sudo pacman -Rns package_name	Remove package, deps, and config
sudo pacman -U package.pkg.tar.xz	Install local package

Advanced Installation

Command	Description
sudo pacman -S package1 package2	Install multiple packages
sudo pacman -S --needed package_name	Install only if not installed
sudo pacman -S --asdeps package_name	Install as dependency
sudo pacman -D --asdeps package_name	Mark as dependency
sudo pacman -D --asexplicit package_name	Mark as explicitly installed

Package Information

Search and Information

Command	Description
pacman -Ss keyword	Search for packages
pacman -Si package_name	Show package information
pacman -Q	List installed packages
pacman -Qs keyword	Search installed packages
pacman -Qi package_name	Show installed package info
pacman -Ql package_name	List package files
pacman -Qo /path/to/file	Find package owning file

Package Dependencies

Command	Description
pacman -Qi package_name | grep Depends	Show dependencies
pacman -Qii package_name	Show detailed package info
pactree package_name	Show dependency tree
pactree -r package_name	Show reverse dependencies

System Maintenance

Cleanup Operations

Command	Description
sudo pacman -Sc	Clean package cache
sudo pacman -Scc	Clean all cache
sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qtdq)	Remove orphaned packages
sudo pacman -Qqd | pacman -Rsu -	Remove unused dependencies

Database Operations

Command	Description
sudo pacman -Sy	Sync package database
sudo pacman -Syy	Force sync database
sudo pacman-db-upgrade	Upgrade package database

AUR (Arch User Repository)

AUR Helpers

Command	Description
yay -S package_name	Install AUR package (yay)
yay -Syu	Update system including AUR
yay -Ss keyword	Search AUR packages
paru -S package_name	Install AUR package (paru)

Manual AUR Installation

# Clone AUR package
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/package_name.git
cd package_name

# Review PKGBUILD
cat PKGBUILD

# Build and install
makepkg -si

Configuration Files

Pacman Configuration

File	Description
/etc/pacman.conf	Main configuration
/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist	Mirror list
/var/log/pacman.log	Package log
/var/lib/pacman/local/	Local package database

Example pacman.conf

[options]
HoldPkg     = pacman glibc
Architecture = auto
Color
CheckSpace
VerbosePkgLists
ParallelDownloads = 5

[core]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

[extra]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

[community]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

[multilib]
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Mirror Management

Reflector (Mirror Optimization)

Command	Description
sudo reflector --latest 20 --protocol https --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist	Update mirrorlist
sudo reflector --country 'United States' --latest 10 --sort rate --save /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist	Country-specific mirrors

Manual Mirror Selection

# Backup current mirrorlist
sudo cp /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.backup

# Edit mirrorlist
sudo nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

# Test mirrors
sudo pacman -Syy

Package Groups

Group Operations

Command	Description
pacman -Sg	List all groups
pacman -Sg group_name	List packages in group
sudo pacman -S group_name	Install package group
sudo pacman -S --needed group_name	Install missing group packages

Common Groups

Group	Description
base	Base system packages
base-devel	Development tools
gnome	GNOME desktop environment
kde-applications	KDE applications
xorg	X Window System

Advanced Usage

Package Verification

Command	Description
sudo pacman -Qk	Check all packages
sudo pacman -Qkk	Thorough check
sudo pacman -Qk package_name	Check specific package

Downgrading Packages

Command	Description
sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/package-version.pkg.tar.xz	Downgrade from cache
downgrade package_name	Downgrade using downgrade tool

Hooks and Scripts

# /etc/pacman.d/hooks/example.hook
[Trigger]
Operation = Install
Operation = Upgrade
Type = Package
Target = *

[Action]
Description = Running custom script...
When = PostTransaction
Exec = /usr/local/bin/custom-script.sh

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Conflicting files	sudo pacman -S --overwrite glob package
Corrupted package	sudo pacman -S --force package
Key issues	sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys
Database lock	sudo rm /var/lib/pacman/db.lck

Package Conflicts

Command	Description
sudo pacman -Rdd package_name	Remove without checking deps
sudo pacman -S --force package_name	Force installation
sudo pacman -Syu --ignore package_name	Ignore package during upgrade

Key Management

Command	Description
sudo pacman-key --init	Initialize keyring
sudo pacman-key --populate archlinux	Populate Arch keys
sudo pacman-key --refresh-keys	Refresh all keys
sudo pacman-key --recv-keys KEYID	Receive specific key

Performance Optimization

Parallel Downloads

# /etc/pacman.conf
[options]
ParallelDownloads = 5

Fastest Mirrors

# Install reflector
sudo pacman -S reflector

# Auto-update mirrors weekly
sudo systemctl enable reflector.timer

SSD Optimization

# /etc/pacman.conf
[options]
NoExtract = usr/share/doc/*
NoExtract = usr/share/man/*
NoExtract = usr/share/info/*

Backup and Recovery

Package List Backup

# Create package list
pacman -Qqe > pkglist.txt

# Restore packages
sudo pacman -S --needed - < pkglist.txt

System Snapshot

# Create system backup
sudo rsync -aAXv / --exclude={"/dev/*","/proc/*","/sys/*","/tmp/*","/run/*","/mnt/*","/media/*","/lost+found"} /backup/

# Package cache backup
sudo cp -r /var/cache/pacman/pkg/ /backup/pacman-cache/

Best Practices

Security

1. Regular Updates: Keep system updated with sudo pacman -Syu
2. Key Verification: Maintain updated package signing keys
3. AUR Caution: Review PKGBUILDs before building AUR packages
4. Minimal Installation: Install only necessary packages
5. Backup: Regular system and package list backups

Performance

1. Mirror Optimization: Use fastest mirrors with reflector
2. Parallel Downloads: Enable parallel downloads
3. Cache Management: Regular cache cleanup
4. SSD Optimization: Exclude unnecessary files
5. Database Optimization: Keep package database clean

Maintenance

1. Orphan Cleanup: Regular removal of orphaned packages
2. Log Monitoring: Check pacman logs for issues
3. Dependency Health: Monitor package dependencies
4. Mirror Health: Verify mirror accessibility
5. System Consistency: Regular package verification