apk-info(8)

📦
version 3.0.9 · 8 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 apk-info(8) — the manual, but make it group chat 💖

okay so bestie. this one's apk-info(8), straight out of the System Manager's Manual, and it's genuinely one of my fave little tools because it's just… nosy in the best way? like it pulls up receipts on any package you name. let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

apk info — prints detailed info about packages. that's it, that's the whole vibe. it's giving "tell me everything" 🔥

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

apk info [<options>...] packages...

apk info -W file

two modes, both iconic. one for packages, one for files that need to be traced back to their owner 🕵️‍♀️

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so apk info prints what the system knows about the packages you list. and by default — like if you don't pass any flags at all — it prints the description, the webpage, and the installed size of the package. that's literally the same as running apk info -dws. cute, right? lowkey a little bundle deal 🫶

here's the formatting tea though, because it matters: every field that gets printed is prefaced by the name of the package and its package version, then the field to be displayed, and then a newline. after that, the following lines show the actual info for that field, and then an empty line terminates that field. so it's all neatly stacked, one field at a time, each one wrapped up in its own little bubble ✨

and then there's the other mode — apk info -W file — which prints the package that owns the file you specified. finding out who's responsible for a file? main character detective energy fr fr 💅

🌸 OPTIONS 🌸

on top of the global options (peep apk(8)) and the query options (peep apk-query(8)), you also get this whole lil menu of goodies:

  • --all, -a — list all the information known about the package. the full dump, no crumbs left behind 👑
  • --contents, -L — list the files that are included in the package. like unzipping the bag and showing everyone what's in it 🎀
  • --depends, -R — list the package's dependencies. who it's leaning on, basically 🫶
  • --description, -d — print the package description. the lil blurb ✨
  • --exists, --installed, -e — check the installed status of a package. for each installed package, it prints its name. and the exit status? it's the number of given packages that are not installed. so zero (aka success) comes back if every package you named is installed. NOTE: --installed is deprecated and will be removed, so that the same option in the query group can function. so like… use the other one, bestie, this one's on its way out 💀
  • --install-if — list the package's install_if rule. when the dependencies in this list are satisfied, the package gets installed automatically. it's giving "if you're all here, i'm coming too" 🙈
  • --license — print the package's SPDX license identifier. legal girlies rise 🌈
  • --provides, -P — list what the package provides. the receipts of what it brings to the table 💅
  • --rdepends, -r — list the reverse dependencies of the package — meaning every other package that depends on it. it's giving "who's obsessed with me" energy 👑
  • --replaces — list the other packages for which this package is marked as a replacement. the official understudy list 🎭
  • --rinstall-if — list the other packages whose install_if rules refer to this package. who's out here putting your name in their group chat 😭
  • --size, -s — print the package's installed size. the numbers, the truth, no cap ⭐
  • --triggers, -t — print the active triggers for the package. the little alarm clocks it's carrying around 🦋
  • --webpage, -w — print the URL for the package's upstream webpage. go touch grass, metaphorically 🌸
  • --who-owns, -W — print the package that owns the specified file. the "who did this" button, but make it useful 🔍
💖 reminder bestie: everything above is exactly what the manual says — no invented lore, no extra guesses. if it's not in the page, it's not in the post 🫶

and that's the whole thing! manual page apk-info(8), from the System Manager's Manual, dated 2026-11-02 — she's fresh, she's iconic, she knows what your packages are up to 💅✨ slay, and happy querying, bestie 🎀

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