Apt-get is the original frontend for dpkg. It is a full featured tool that lets the user give commands to dpkg, along with apt-cache, which displays information to the user.
Apt is a high level tool for user friendliness. It combines some features from apt-get and apt-cache, as well as adds progress bars and other quality of life features. It also strips down some features the average user doesn’t use.
So neither is a wrapper for the other. They are two similar tools that do the same job. Apt-get is better for scripting due to being a more rigid tool while apt is nicer for end users.
Wait… Someone explain things to me!
Today I learned that
aptis likeapt-getbut newerWhen I started on Debian, there was only apt-get. (And dpkg if you manually pulled .debs from somewhere).
Then a little while later, there was aptitude, which was nice.
apt the command didn’t show up until 2014.
They just can’t make it easy
Dpkg is the low level tool for Debian packages.
Apt-get is the original frontend for dpkg. It is a full featured tool that lets the user give commands to dpkg, along with apt-cache, which displays information to the user.
Apt is a high level tool for user friendliness. It combines some features from apt-get and apt-cache, as well as adds progress bars and other quality of life features. It also strips down some features the average user doesn’t use.
So neither is a wrapper for the other. They are two similar tools that do the same job. Apt-get is better for scripting due to being a more rigid tool while apt is nicer for end users.
Amazing! 16 years with Ubuntu, and now I know!