What is APT?

Advanced Package Tool, more commonly known as APT, is a collection of tools used to install, update, remove, and otherwise manage software packages on Debian and its derivative operating systems, including Ubuntu and Linux Mint. APT works through the use of repositories, or special directories that hold collections of software packages.

The Debian project maintains an official repository holding thousands of software packages which APT users can install via the apt command-line program and a network connection. Users can also install packages from third-party repositories as well as locally-stored repositories.

For more information about APT and other package management utilities, see our guide on Package Management Basics.