How To Install apt-offline package on Ubuntu?

Last Updated : 27 Jul, 2022

Apt-offline adds offline package management features to Debian-based systems. It may be used to download packages and dependencies that will be installed later (or necessary to update) in a disconnected system. Packages can be downloaded from another connected PC. It may also get bug reports for the downloaded packages. Apt-offline is an Offline APT Package Manager. It can fully update and upgrade an APT-based distribution without connecting to the network, and it does so invisibly to APT. . apt-offline may be used to produce a signature on a system (with no network). This signature provides all download information necessary for the APT database system. This signature file may be used on another system connected to the internet (which does not have to be a Debian box and can even run Windows) to download the updates.

On Ubuntu 20.04, there are three options for installing an apt-offline. Apt-get, apt, and aptitude are all available. Each of the strategies for the installation of this tool will be described in detail in the following sections. You may select any of them.

Using apt-get to install
Using aptitude to install
Using apt to install

Method 1: Using the apt-get command

Step 1: Update the apt database with the following command using apt-get.

sudo apt-get update

Step 2: The following command can be used to install apt-offline using apt-get after upgrading the apt database,

sudo a

Method 2: Using apt

Step 1: Update the apt database with the following command using apt.

sudo apt update

Step 2: The following command can be used to install apt-offline using apt-get after upgrading the apt database:

sudo apt -y install apt-offline

Method 3: Using aptitude

Step 1: Since aptitude is not typically installed by default on Ubuntu, you might need to install it first if you wish to utilize this method. To update the apt database with aptitude, run the following command.

sudo aptitude update

Step 2: The following command will use aptitude to install apt-offline after upgrading the apt database:

sudo aptitude -y install apt-offline

Usage of apt-offline package

Example 1: For argument/option parsing, apt-offline uses argparse. You can use the - delimiter to advise apt-offline about a parameter explicitly.

apt-offline set --update --upgrade --install-packages make -- foo.sig

Example 2: We tell apt-offline that foo.sig is an input to the apt-offline command, not the —install-packages option, by using the — delimiter. Otherwise, you may put it next to the set command.