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roguehashrate
roguehashrate

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pkgz – A Unified Package Manager Interface

#cli #linux #github #firstpost

Why I Started Building pkgz

Honestly, I got a bit tired of juggling different package managers on my Linux machines. Sometimes I’d need to use apt install, other times flatpak install — it just felt messy and inconsistent.

I thought: why can’t there be one simple command that just works, no matter where the package is sourced from?

So, I started building pkgz as a personal project to simplify installing software. It’s still early days, but my hope is that it can help others who feel the same frustration — making package management a little easier and more unified.

What pkgz Can Currently Do:

Install packages from multiple sources:

  • Linux distros: apt (including nala), pacman, paru, dnf, pacstall
  • BSD systems: FreeBSD (pkg and ports), OpenBSD (pkg_add and ports)
  • Search for applications across all enabled sources (search results quality varies)
  • Remove installed packages from all enabled sources
  • Update packages for each enabled source
  • Handle privilege escalation automatically with sudo or doas depending on configuration or system availability
  • Allow configuration of enabled sources via a TOML config file
  • Integrated with tldr pages — if you have tldr installed, run tldr pkgz for quick usage tips

Current Status & Disclaimer

I have personally tested the apt (including nala), flatpak, and pacstall backends extensively.

The support for pacman, paru, dnf, and all BSD backends is untested but implemented based on their command syntax — they should work in theory.

If you’re using any of those less-tested sources, your feedback or contributions would be especially valuable.

Interested in Contributing?

As mentioned previously pkgz is still early-stage. If you’re curious about Crystal, package management, or want to help polish a cross-platform CLI tool, I’d love to have you onboard!

Whether it’s adding new sources, improving the UX, or fixing bugs — all contributions are welcome.

Feel free to:

  • Fork the repo and submit PRs
  • Open issues to suggest features or report bugs
  • Reach out to discuss ideas or questions
  • Together we can make pkgz a solid tool for everyone juggling multiple OSes or package sources.

Pkgz is here

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