pacman (Arch Linux Package Manager)

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Update the system
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -Syu
#   → Syncs the repository database (-y) and then
#     upgrades all installed packages (-u)
#   → The standard way to update the entire system on Arch Linux
#   Example: sudo pacman -Syu

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Install packages
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -S {package} [{package} ...]
#   → Installs the specified package(s)
#   → Multiple packages can be specified separated by spaces
#   Example: sudo pacman -S neovim
#   Example: sudo pacman -S neovim git curl

# pacman -S {repository}/{package}
#   → Installs a package from a specific repository
#   Example: sudo pacman -S extra/neovim

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Remove packages
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -R {package}
#   → Removes the package (leaves dependencies installed)

# pacman -Rs {package}
#   → Removes the package along with any dependencies
#     that are no longer needed by other packages
#   → Recommended for most removals

# pacman -Rns {package}
#   → Completely removes the package including
#     configuration files (.pacsave)

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Search for packages
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -Ss {keyword}
#   → Searches repository package names and descriptions by keyword

# pacman -Qs {keyword}
#   → Searches installed packages by keyword

# pacman -Si {package}
#   → Shows detailed information about a package in the repository

# pacman -Qi {package}
#   → Shows detailed information about an installed package

# -----------------------------------------------
#  List packages
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -Q
#   → Lists all installed packages

# pacman -Qe
#   → Lists only explicitly installed packages
#   → Does not include automatically installed dependencies

# pacman -Qdt
#   → Lists orphaned dependencies that are no longer needed

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Manage the cache
# -----------------------------------------------

# pacman -Sc
#   → Removes cached packages that are not currently installed

# pacman -Scc
#   → Clears the entire package cache (frees disk space)

Operation	Command	Description
Update entire system	pacman -Syu	Syncs the repository database and upgrades all packages to the latest version. The standard maintenance operation on Arch Linux.
Install a package	pacman -S {package}	Installs the specified package. Dependencies are resolved automatically.
Sync database only	pacman -Sy	Syncs the repository database without installing any packages. Using this alone is not recommended.
Remove a package	pacman -R {package}	Removes the package. Dependencies remain installed.
Remove with dependencies	pacman -Rs {package}	Removes the package along with any dependencies that were required only by it. Recommended for most removals.
Remove including config files	pacman -Rns {package}	Removes the package, its dependencies, and its configuration files. Use when you want a complete reset.
Search repository	pacman -Ss {keyword}	Searches repository package names and descriptions by keyword.
Search installed packages	pacman -Qs {keyword}	Searches installed packages by keyword.
Repository package details	pacman -Si {package}	Shows version, dependencies, and description for a package in the repository.
Installed package details	pacman -Qi {package}	Shows detailed information about an installed package (install date, size, etc.).
List installed packages	pacman -Q	Lists all installed packages.
List explicit installs	pacman -Qe	Lists only explicitly installed packages, excluding automatically installed dependencies.
List orphaned packages	pacman -Qdt	Lists orphaned dependencies that are no longer needed. Use pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq) to remove them all at once.
Partially clear cache	pacman -Sc	Removes cached packages that are not currently installed.
Fully clear cache	pacman -Scc	Clears the entire package cache to free disk space.

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Update the system to the latest state
# -----------------------------------------------

# Sync the repository database and update all packages
sudo pacman -Syu

Run the following command:

$ sudo pacman -Syu
:: Synchronizing package databases...
 core                     151.1 KiB  1234 KiB/s  00:00 [######################] 100%
 extra                      8.0 MiB  5.12 MiB/s  00:02 [######################] 100%
:: Starting full system upgrade...
 Packages to upgrade (3) neovim-0.10.4-1  git-2.48.1-1  curl-8.12.1-1
 Total download size:  12.34 MiB
 Total installed size:  45.67 MiB
:: Proceed with installation? [Y/n] y

Install neovim and verify the installation

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Install and verify neovim
# -----------------------------------------------

# Install neovim
sudo pacman -S neovim

# Check the installed version
nvim --version

Run the following command:

$ nvim --version
NVIM v0.10.4
Build type: Release
LuaJIT 2.1.1736781742

Search installed packages

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Search among installed packages
# -----------------------------------------------

# Search installed packages for names containing "python"
pacman -Qs python

Run the following command:

$ pacman -Qs python
local/python 3.13.2-1
    Next-generation Python programming language
local/python-pip 24.3.1-1
    Tool for installing Python packages

Remove a package and clean up orphaned dependencies

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Remove a package and clean up orphaned dependencies
# -----------------------------------------------

# Remove neovim along with its dependencies and config files
sudo pacman -Rns neovim

# List orphaned dependencies that are no longer needed
pacman -Qdt

Running these commands produces the following output:

$ pacman -Qdt
lua53 0.5.3-1
unibilium 2.1.1-2

The following example demonstrates this:

# Remove all orphaned packages at once
# pacman -Qdtq outputs only package names, which are passed to -Rns
sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq)

Run the following command:

$ sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq)
checking dependencies...
Packages to remove (2): lua53-0.5.3-1  unibilium-2.1.1-2
:: Do you want to remove these packages? [Y/n] y

Install an AUR package using yay

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Install and use yay (AUR helper)
# -----------------------------------------------

# yay itself is an AUR package, so you build it from source with git first
# base-devel (build tools) is required
sudo pacman -S --needed git base-devel

# Clone the yay source from the AUR and build and install it
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git
cd yay
makepkg -si

# Verify the yay version
yay --version

Run the following command:

$ yay --version
yay v12.4.2 - libalpm v14.0.0

The following example demonstrates this:

# -----------------------------------------------
#  Package management with yay (same syntax as pacman)
# -----------------------------------------------

# Update the entire system (official repos + AUR)
yay -Syu

# Install google-chrome from the AUR
yay -S google-chrome

# Search including AUR packages
yay -Ss evangelion-font

Run the following command:

$ yay -Ss evangelion-font
aur/evangelion-font-ikari 1.0.0-1 (+12 0.45)
    Evangelion-style font (created by Ikari Shinji)
aur/evangelion-font-nerv 2.1.0-1 (+8 0.32)
    Official NERV logo font

pacman is the package manager native to Arch Linux, known for its simple and fast design. Options are expressed as combinations of letters, and learning just three — -S (Sync), -R (Remove), and -Q (Query) — covers most everyday operations. Partial upgrades are discouraged on Arch Linux; always use pacman -Syu to update the entire system at once. Software not available in the official repositories (core, extra) can be obtained from the AUR (Arch User Repository), but AUR packages are community-maintained build scripts (PKGBUILD), so it is important to review their contents before use. yay is the most widely used AUR helper and lets you manage both official repositories and the AUR with the same syntax as pacman. For package management on Debian- and Ubuntu-based systems, see the apt page. For RHEL- and AlmaLinux-based systems, see the dnf / yum page.