APT vs APT-GET :: Which to Choose
APT vs APT-GET :: Which one is better?. If you have been using Debian for awhile you are familiar with APT-GET. APT has been around for only a short while, only since Debian 8. Many people have not switched over to using APT. APT-GET still works, so why switch?
APT (Advanced Package Tool) is a higher-level tool for installing and removing packages. It includes dpkg, a low-level tool for handling .deb packages. APT also performs most other functions that have to do with package management, including integrating with external repositories. One of the new features is a progress bar when downloading or upgrading.
The following table gives you a head to head comparison of the features. As you can see many things remain the same. APT seems to do things a bit quicker. For a full comparison you can look into the help section of both of the commands by typing in apt –help and apt-get –help.
| Function | APT | APT-GET |
| Install package | apt install <package> | apt-get install <package> |
| Remove package | apt remove <package> | apt-get remove <package> |
| Remove package including configuration | apt purge <package> | apt-get purge <package> |
| Update sources | apt update | apt-get update |
| Update packages (without removing or reinstalling) | apt upgrade | apt-get upgrade |
| Update packages (with removing and reinstalling) | apt full-upgrade | apt-get dist-upgrade |
| Remove unnecessary dependencies | apt autoremove | apt-get autoremove |
| Search package | apt search <package> | apt-get search <package> |
| Display package information | apt show <package> | apt-cache show <package> |
| Display active package sources (in detail) | apt policy | apt-cache policy |
| Display available and installed package versions | apt policy <package> | apt-cache policy <package> |
| New Commands | ||
| Edit packages sources | open /etc/apt/sources.list in a text editor | apt-get edit sources |
| List packages by criteria | apt list | dpkg –get-selections > list.txt |
| Set/change package status | apt-mark <package> | echo <package> hold | dpkg –set-selections |
Conclusion
Old habits die hard, or so the saying goes. Switching to APT will make things faster for you. APT is more logically laid out and easier to use. Differences still are causing confusion in many forums, but in the long run APT is winning. If you are using any flavor of Debian (Linux Mint, Ubuntu, etc.) it is worth the switch.