Using the AUR with Arch Linux
If you’re an Arch Linux user, you’re probably aware of how amazing the AUR (Arch User Repository) can be. It’s a treasure trove of community-driven packages that aren’t always available in the official repositories. In this post, I'll show you how to make use of the AUR to install packages that you might need for your system. Let’s get started!
Setup
Here’s how you can set up everything.
1. Update & Upgrade Your System
First things first, always make sure your system is up to date:
sudo pacman -Syyu
2. Installing yay
yay is a popular AUR helper that makes it easy to install and manage packages from the AUR. You can install it in a few ways—here’s both the one-liner and the manual method:
One-Liner Method
If you're in a hurry, you can run the following one-liner to install yay:
sudo pacman -Sy base-devel --noconfirm && git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git && cd yay && makepkg -si && cd .. && rm -rf yay
This will install yay and clean up afterward.
Manual Method
Prefer to take it step-by-step? Here’s how to install yay manually:
-
Install the base-devel group (needed for building packages):
sudo pacman -Sy base-devel --no-confirm -
Clone the yay repository:
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git -
Build and install yay:
cd yay
makepkg -si -
Clean up by removing the yay directory:
cd .. && rm -rf yay
Usage
Once you have yay installed on your Arch Linux system, it becomes an invaluable tool for managing packages from the AUR (Arch User Repository) as well as the official repositories. Here's a quick rundown of some common commands and tasks you can do with yay:
Installing Packages from AUR
To install a package from the AUR, simply use:
yay -S <package-name>
For example, to install the discord package:
yay -S discord
Installing Packages from the Official Repositories
You can also use yay to install packages from the official Arch repositories, just like you would with pacman:
yay -S <package-name>
This is useful for consistency in managing all your packages using a single tool.
Search for Packages
If you’re unsure about the name of a package, you can search for it in both the official repositories and the AUR:
yay -Ss <package-name>
For example:
yay -Ss firefox
This command will list both the official and AUR versions of Firefox.
Update System
To update all installed packages (both from the official repos and the AUR) with a single command, use:
yay -Syu
This is similar to running sudo pacman -Syu, but it also checks and updates any AUR packages you’ve installed.
Removing Packages
To remove a package, you can use the same command as pacman but with yay:
yay -R <package-name>
For example, to remove discord:
yay -R discord
If you want to remove a package and its dependencies that are no longer needed, use:
yay -Rns <package-name>
Cleaning Up Unused Packages
A common problem with AUR packages is that dependencies might accumulate over time. To clean up unused dependencies, use:
yay -Rns $(yay -Qdtq)
This will remove orphaned packages that are no longer needed by any other installed package.
Updating AUR Packages Individually
If you only want to update a specific AUR package, you can do so by:
yay -Sua
This will only update AUR packages and not the official ones.
Viewing Package Details
To view detailed information about a specific package, including its description, version, and dependencies, you can use:
yay -Qi <package-name>
For example:
yay -Qi firefox
Check for Updates for a Specific Package
If you want to check if a specific package has an update available in the AUR, you can run:
yay -Qu <package-name>
This will display the available updates for that package.
Displaying AUR Package Information
If you need more information about a package from the AUR, you can use:
yay -Qi <package-name>
It gives details on where the package is coming from, its installation status, and more.
Interactive Search and Install
If you want to search and install packages interactively, yay provides an option to list all matches for a package and then choose which one to install:
yay -S <package-name> --noconfirm
This eliminates the need for confirmation for each selection.
Cleaning Package Cache
Over time, the AUR and official repos can leave behind cached packages that take up disk space. To clean up the package cache (remove old versions of installed packages), use:
yay -Sc
To clean all cached packages (including uninstalled ones):
yay -Scc