Pacstall brings the freedom of the AUR to Ubuntu
AUR You Ready?
© Photo by Andhika Soreng on Unsplash
Many users wish Ubuntu had a free and easily accessible user-driven package repository like Arch's AUR. Pacstall steps into the gap.
Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros, but it is still missing some benefits that other Linux communities enjoy. For instance, the Ubuntu repositories might not have the package (or the latest version) you need, which means you'll need to hunt around GitHub for source code to compile that package yourself. The two official alternative methods for getting new versions of packages (snaps and PPAs) are also lacking in many areas (see the "Issues with Snaps and PPAs" box).
When it comes to finding and installing new software from a broad and diverse user base, many Ubuntu users look longingly to Arch Linux and its popular Arch User Repository (AUR). The AUR is a large community-driven repository. The goal of AUR is to provide users with easy access to packages that aren't present in Arch's official repositories. The package format used with AUR is simple enough that a developer or maintainer from almost any software project can easily create an AUR package for their software that anyone can use for quick and simple package installation. The AUR, which currently contains around 58,000 packages, has helped Arch become the distro for users who want the greatest software availability.
Many Ubuntu users have wondered if Ubuntu could have something like the AUR. Enter Pacstall [1] – a command-line package manager that aims to bring the software availability and freshness of Arch/AUR packages to Ubuntu and Debian. Like the AUR, the Pacstall project contains an open repository of package scripts that anyone can add to, improve, and utilize.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.