Managing Third-Party Apps on Linux with Control and Simplicity ⚙️
Managing third-party Linux applications has become a crucial decision for users who rely on up-to-date external software. Manually installing .deb files no longer solves long-term maintenance, versioning, or security problems. In this context, more centralized approaches are emerging that are changing how applications outside of official repositories are managed.
Your Linux distribution already includes a excellent package managerBut sometimes you need applications that are not available in the official repositories.
Third-party applications like Google Chrome, Slack, Zoom, and Visual Studio Code are distributed by their own developers. On Debian and Ubuntu systems, they come as .deb files, while on Fedora and Red Hat, they are RPM packages. You can install them using your favorite graphical installer or via the command line. But what if we had a tool that automatically downloads, installs, updates, and removes these third-party packages?
Deb-get, created by Martin WimpressIt is a high-level command-line interface for easily managing packages published in third-party apt repositories or for downloading them directly.
With deb-get, you can download and install third-party apps without leaving your device. Want to know how to use this tool and what apps are available? Let's find out! 🚀
We tested the process on two computers: a laptop with Ubuntu and a desktop with Kubuntu.
Not all versions of Ubuntu or Debian are compatible, but if you're using one of the following, you're ready to go:
- Debian
- Buster (10)
- Bullseye (11)
- Bookworm (12)
- Trixie (13)
- Forky (14)
- Sid (inestable)
- Ubuntu
- 20.04
- 22.04
- 24.04
- 24.10
- 25.04
- 25.10
The deb-get installation process uses deb-get itself. We download the application from the Wimpress GitHub repository and then install it on our system.
1. Open a terminal and update the list of repositories to ensure you install the latest version available.
sudo apt update2. Install curl, the tool we will use to download deb-get.
sudo apt install curlYou probably already have curl updated, but it's always good to double-check.
3. Download and install deb-get using curl and sudo.
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wimpysworld/deb-get/main/deb-get | sudo -E bash -s install deb-getHow to use deb-get to easily install Linux applications
Deb-get works very similarly to apt and apt-get, with commands to conveniently manage your applications from the terminal.
Let's begin Installing Microsoft Edge for LinuxFirst, consult the list of supported software to find out the exact name of the package.
1. Update the deb-get package index:
sudo deb-get update
2. Instala Microsoft Edge estable con deb-get:
sudo deb-get install microsoft-edge-stable
To Update all installed applications with deb-get, basta con un solo comando. Incluso detecta y actualiza aplicaciones instaladas antes de instalar deb-get, como Zoom o Raspberry Pi Imager.
sudo deb-get upgradeWant to search for a specific app? Use the command searchFor example, to search for Firefox:
sudo deb-get search firefox
To see all available applications with deb-get, run:
sudo deb-get list
How to uninstall applications with deb-get
You have two options for deleting apps:
- Remove the application while keeping the configuration files:
sudo deb-get remove <nombre-aplicación>
- Completely remove the app, including configuration files:
sudo deb-get purge <nombre-aplicación>
Maintenance tip: Clean temporary files after installation
To free up space and maintain I clean the system, it removes the installation files downloaded with:
sudo deb-get cleanDeb-get is a practical and efficient tool for enhancing your Ubuntu installations, providing easy access to modern and up-to-date software that is sometimes unavailable or outdated in the official repositories. Make your Linux even more powerful today! 💻✨
💡 Want to learn more Linux commands and tricks? Don't hesitate to explore other recommended articles on our site to master the system and get the most out of your computer.
