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

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

Performance

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

Maintenance

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