Toolbox Aid

August 9th, 2024 12:42 PM Mr. Q Categories: Command

Command: apt-get purge

Used to completely remove a package along with its configuration files from your system. This command is more thorough than apt-get remove as it also deletes configuration files associated with the package.

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Sample Command and Output:

$ sudo apt-get purge vim
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  vim vim-common vim-runtime xxd
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 4 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 11.0 MB of disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Description:

• sudo apt-get purge <package_name>: Completely removes the specified package (vim in this example) along with its configuration files. It also lists any additional packages that will be removed as a result. The command frees up disk space by removing all related files.

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Additional Commands and Sample Outputs:

• apt-get purge <package_name> --auto-remove: Remove the package, its configuration files, and automatically remove packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer needed. Sample Command and Output:

  $ sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove vim
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following packages will be REMOVED:
    vim vim-common vim-runtime xxd
  The following packages will be automatically removed:
    vim-gtk vim-tiny
  0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 4 to remove and 2 to auto-remove.
  After this operation, 15.0 MB of disk space will be freed.

Description:

• apt-get purge <package_name> --auto-remove: Removes the package and its configuration files, and also removes any unused packages that were installed as dependencies.
• apt-get purge --dry-run <package_name>: Simulate the removal of a package and its configuration files without making any changes. Sample Command and Output:

  $ sudo apt-get purge --dry-run vim
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following packages would be REMOVED:
    vim vim-common vim-runtime xxd

Description:

• apt-get purge --dry-run <package_name>: Displays what would be removed if the command were executed, without actually performing the removal. Useful for previewing changes.

Note: Use apt-get purge when you want to ensure that all configuration files and related data are completely removed from your system, freeing up additional disk space.