Difference between apt-get remove -y and apt-get purge -y?
Solution 1
apt-get remove
removes the package in question
apt-get purge
is equivalent to apt-get remove --purge
and will remove user data/configuration files.
From man apt-get
:
purge purge is identical to remove except that packages are removed and purged (any configuration files are deleted too).
and
--purge Use purge instead of remove for anything that would be removed. An asterisk ("*") will be displayed next to packages which are scheduled to be purged. remove --purge is equivalent to the purge command. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Purge.
the -y
flag tells the command to proceed without confirmation for trivial questions. Again, from man apt-get
:
-y, --yes, --assume-yes Automatic yes to prompts; assume "yes" as answer to all prompts and run non-interactively. If an undesirable situation, such as changing a held package, trying to install a unauthenticated package or removing an essential package occurs then apt-get will abort. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Assume-Yes.
Solution 2
The man page for apt-get
has the following information -
remove
remove is identical to install except that packages are removed
instead of installed. Note that removing a package leaves its
configuration files on the system. If a plus sign is appended to
the package name (with no intervening space), the identified
package will be installed instead of removed.
purge
purge is identical to remove except that packages are removed and
purged (any configuration files are deleted too).
Therefore, if you wish to delete all the configuration files of a particular package along with it, purge
is the better option. However, if you wish to retain the configuration files, remove
should be used.
-y, --yes, --assume-yes
Automatic yes to prompts; assume "yes" as answer to all prompts and
run non-interactively. If an undesirable situation, such as
changing a held package, trying to install a unauthenticated
package or removing an essential package occurs then apt-get will
abort. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Assume-Yes.
The -y
flag does not remove dependencies but instead skips the user confirmation for the removal of the package, assuming it as a 'Yes' in the Y/N prompt.
For removing a package that is causing problems or need not be installed again, the best option is -
apt-get purge <packagename>
This is because if the configuration files for an application have been modified in a way that caused errors, purge
will remove them, effectively making the subsequent install appear as a fresh install.
NOTE : The purge
option does not apply to packages that hold configuration files inside the user's home folder. Refer to this answer for additional details.
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user251774
Updated on September 18, 2022Comments
-
user251774 over 1 year
apt-get remove <name of program> apt-get purge <name of program>
and
apt-get purge -y <name of program>
Research indicates the running either "remove" or "purge" performs the exact same function and that they are interchangeable commands.
Running the command
apt-get purge -y <name of program>
removes the program and its dependencies.IOW, does this command remove dependencies strictly associated with that program or is it liable to delete shared dependencies that may cause other programs to stop working?
Which should I run to delete a program?
purge
orpurge -y
?