Part 1: Understanding pacman
pacman is the default package manager for Arch Linux. It directly interacts with the official repositories and handles installation, updates, and removal of software.
Basic Syntax
sudo pacman [options] [package_name]
Common pacman Commands
| Task | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Update package database and system | sudo pacman -Syu |
Sync package list (-Sy) and upgrade all packages (-u). |
| Install a package | sudo pacman -S <package> |
Installs package from official repo. |
| Remove a package | sudo pacman -R <package> |
Removes a package (keeps dependencies). |
| Remove a package and its unused dependencies | sudo pacman -Rns <package> |
Clean uninstall — removes package, configs, and dependencies. |
| Search for a package | pacman -Ss <keyword> |
Search available packages. |
| List installed packages | pacman -Q |
Shows all installed packages. |
| Show package info | pacman -Qi <package> |
Displays metadata (version, size, dependencies). |
| Clean cache | sudo pacman -Sc |
Removes old packages from cache. |
🧹 Pro Tip
To free up space, remove unused dependencies and old cached packages:
sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq)
sudo pacman -Scc
Part 2: Using yay for AUR Packages
The Arch User Repository (AUR) contains community-maintained build scripts (PKGBUILDs) for software not in the official repositories.
yay (Yet Another Yaourt) is a lightweight, fast, and user-friendly AUR helper that automates the build and installation process.
Basic Syntax
yay [options] [package_name]
Common yay Commands
| Task | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Update everything (official + AUR) | yay -Syu |
Sync and upgrade both official and AUR packages. |
| Install an AUR package | yay -S <package> |
Automatically fetches, builds, and installs from AUR. |
| Search for AUR packages | yay -Ss <keyword> |
Search both official and AUR repositories. |
| Remove a package | yay -Rns <package> |
Same as pacman — removes package + unused dependencies. |
| Clean build cache | yay -Sc |
Clean yay’s build directory. |
| List all AUR packages | yay -Qm |
Shows all manually installed (AUR) packages. |
| Check for outdated AUR packages | yay -Qua |
Lists AUR updates available. |
💡 Tip: Unlike pacman,
yaydoesn’t needsudofor most operations until the build process actually installs system files — it will prompt automatically.
Flag Summary
| Flag | Tool | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
-S |
pacman/yay | Install package(s) |
-R |
pacman/yay | Remove package(s) |
-Ss |
pacman/yay | Search package in repos |
-Qi |
pacman | Show package info |
-Qm |
yay | List manually installed (AUR) packages |
-Syu |
pacman/yay | Sync database and upgrade all packages |
-Rns |
pacman/yay | Remove package + dependencies + configs |
-Sc |
pacman/yay | Clean package cache |
-Qdtq |
pacman | List orphaned packages |