You Asked: How Do I Search for a Specific Package in Linux?

In Ubuntu and Debian systems, you can search for any package just by a keyword related to its name or description through the apt-cache search. The output returns you with a list of packages matching your searched keyword. Once you find the exact package name, you can then use it with the apt install for installation.

How do I search for a package?

To find out the package name and with it description before installing, use the ‘search’ flag. Using “search” with apt-cache will display a list of matched packages with short description. Let’s say you would like to find out description of package ‘vsftpd’, then command would be.

How do you check if a specific package is installed in Linux?

Use dpkg command, which is package manager for Debian. Use file /var/lib/dpkg/available to find out all package names available to you.