The Debian Project has released APT 3.0, a significant update for the Debian command-line package manager. This new version unveils a revamped user interface designed for improved usability. The updated command-line output is now presented in a clear, columnar layout, equipped with color coding—red for removals and green for changes—making it simpler for users to scan for package names during installs, updates, or removals.
The new interface is less verbose and provides enhanced spacing for better section separation, helping users to easily identify relevant information. Additionally, APT 3.0 introduces a new solver option that allows the package manager to default to non-candidate versions, enhancing the autoremove functionality to retain only the most essential auto-installed packages.
Among other new features, APT 3.0 supports the --target-release in the ‘apt list’ command, includes a --comment option for recording comments in package history, and incorporates support for uncompressed indexes from partial file mirrors. The release enhances transaction support and upgrades tracking for the package dependency cache, along with a wealth of documentation improvements.
This version is particularly dedicated to the late Steve Langasek, a notable contributor to both the Ubuntu and Debian projects. APT 3.0 is set to become the default command-line interface for the upcoming Debian GNU/Linux 13 “Trixie” operating system series, expected to be released between June and July 2025, and will also be included in the upcoming Ubuntu 25.04 release.
For further details, you can visit the release announcement page to explore the complete list of changes and download the source package for installation on Debian-based GNU/Linux distributions.