Basalt Linux Wiki

Documentation and guides for Basalt Linux.

Package Management

Basalt Linux uses Debian's APT package management system with access to the full Debian repository. Flatpak is also pre-installed for sandboxed applications.

APT (Advanced Package Tool)

APT is the primary package manager. All commands are run in the terminal.

Basic Commands

$ sudo apt update              # Refresh package lists sudo apt upgrade             # Upgrade all packages sudo apt install <package>   # Install a package sudo apt remove <package>    # Remove a package sudo apt purge <package>     # Remove package and config files apt search <keyword>         # Search for packages apt show <package>           # Show package details

System Updates

To fully update your system:

$ sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

Cleanup Commands

$ sudo apt autoremove    # Remove unused dependencies sudo apt autoclean     # Clear cached package files

Synaptic Package Manager

Synaptic provides a graphical interface for APT. It can be installed with:

$ sudo apt install synaptic

Features include:

Browse packages by category
Search and filter packages
View package dependencies and installed files
Manage repositories

Flatpak

Flatpak is pre-installed. It provides sandboxed applications from Flathub and other remotes.

Basic Commands

$ flatpak search <app>           # Search for an app flatpak install <remote> <app> # Install an app flatpak run <app>              # Run an app flatpak update                 # Update all Flatpak apps flatpak uninstall <app>        # Remove an app

Add Flathub

Flathub is the official Flatpak repository. If not already configured:

$ flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Deb Packages

You can install .deb files downloaded from the web using:

$ sudo dpkg -i <file.deb> sudo apt install -f           # Fix any dependency issues

You can also double-click a .deb file in Thunar to install it with GDebi.

Repositories

Basalt Linux uses Debian repositories. Repository configuration is in /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/sources.list.d/. You can manage repositories through Synaptic or by editing these files.