How to Clean the Package Cache in Arch Linux – Guide
Facing low disk space issues on Arch Linux? you can free up some storage on your system by clearing the package cache. So you’re running Arch Linux and you type sudo pacman -Syu to update your system, but the pacman utility says you don’t have enough disk space. What happened? You probably just need to empty your system’s package cache.
What happened to my disk space?
If you’re wondering where the disk space has gone, the likely culprit is Arch’s package cache. Arch Linux stores a copy of each downloaded package in the / var / cache / pacman / pkg / directory. This includes all downloaded packages, even updates. You can roll back to previous versions in case an update breaks a package, which is useful in a rolling release distribution like Arch. While having multiple copies of a package is useful for recovery, it is necessary up space. You can forget to remove previous versions of packages. The Arch Linux developers decided that it would be better for the user to manage this cache rather than build some automatic utility to get rid of outdated versions. So how do you get your space back?
Clearing the Package Cache in Arch Linux
Fortunately, the pacman utility allows you to clear the package cache. To do this, type: pacman -Sc This will remove any cached packages that are not currently installed. Adding another -c flag to the command will remove all cached packages. pacman -Scc
The paccache utility
Clearing the package cache with pacman is an all-or-nothing proposition. You’ll want to have some older versions to use, while still keeping enough disk space. The paccache utility will help you balance these needs. It is part of the pacman-contrib package. To install it, type: sudo pacman -S pacman-contrib To remove all cached packages except the three most recent versions, type: sudo paccache -r If you want to keep the latest version, use the -k option, specified with the number of latest packages you want. In this case, one: sudo paccache -rk1
Now you have more disk space
Arch requires more effort to manage than other distros. Package management is no exception, but with these tips, you can reclaim your disk space while still relying on older packages if necessary. If you haven’t tried Arch Linux yet, or if the complex installation process seems difficult for you, you can easily install Arch Linux using the guided installer.
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