Introduction
Nala is a command-line APT frontend that aims to provide a tidier alternative to the standard apt user interface. Similar to Synaptic, Aptitude, and other APT frontends, Nala adapts the APT interface to a specific use case.
What is Nala?
Nala is an APT package manager frontend designed to facilitate the use of APT from the command line. This tool provides a more user-friendly interface for interacting with APT and offers multiple features. This includes coloured output, tab completion, and support for searching and filtering package lists.
Install Nala with apt
The easiest way to install Nala is from the APT repositories available on your system.
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nalaapt downloads and installs the main package, along with all the dependencies not present on your system.
Install Packages
Use the following command to install a package with Nala:
sudo nala install [package-name]The installer shows a formatted list of packages that will be installed. Type Y and press Enter to start the process.
Advantages of Nala over apt
Nala offers several additional features not available in the standard apt interface. The features are the ability to view package dependencies and reverse dependencies and view and compare package versions.
However, the three most essential features Nala uses to improve the APT experience are:
- Parallel package downloads.
- The ability to select the fastest mirrors.
- Package transaction history.
Parallel Package Downloads
One of the apt frontend's limitations is that it can download only one package at a time. Nala introduces the ability to download three packages per mirror simultaneously. This feature significantly improves the download speed, especially when an installation requires numerous small packages. Nala also improves the download speed by actively monitoring the state of the mirrors. If a mirror fails, the tool automatically replaces it with a working one.
Fast Mirror Selection
Various factors, such as the distance and the network bandwidth, influence the speed of download mirrors. Nala can measure the latency of each mirror and allow the user to choose the fastest ones, thereby improving the download speed.
Package Transaction History
Another way Nala improves APT's functionality is by allowing users to view the history of package transactions on the system. Each time Nala conducts a new transaction, such as installing, removing, or updating a package, it registers it in the JSON file under a unique ID. Users can list the transactions and, if necessary, undo them.
Commands
autopurge Autopurge packages that are no longer needed.
autoremove Autoremove packages that are no longer needed.
clean Clear the local archive of downloaded package files.
fetch Fetch fast mirrors to speed up downloads.
history Show transaction history.
install Install packages.
list List packages based on package names.
purge Purge packages.
remove Remove packages.
search Search package names and descriptions.
show Show package details.
update Update package list.
upgrade Update package list and upgrade the system.
