Short Bytes: A developer named Matt Parnell has
created a new utility called apt-fast. It is a shell script wrapper
which enables multiple connections during package download in the
command line. This increases the download speed of the package in
comparison to the apt-get utility.
The
apt-get command is associated with the Advanced Package Tool and it is
used to install and remove application packages on Linux distros like
Debian (and it’s derivatives), Slackware, and others. You can also use
apt-get to update existing Linux packages.
One thing that degrades the apt-get experience is that the downloads
are slow and time-consuming. Matt Pernell (ilikenw) has the answer to
this problem. His new script known as apt-fast boosts the package
download speeds. For this, apt-fast uses multiple connections to
download the same package. It is similar to various download managers
like Internet Download Manager.
The apt-fast utility is a shell script wrapper which uses the aria2c
download manager to enable multiple connections during package download
process. So, under the hood, it still uses the apt-get and aptitude
tools.
How to install apt-fast on your Linux distribution:
The
following commands allow installation of apt-fast 1.8 on Ubuntu 14.04
and later versions. It works on Debian-based Linux distributions like
Ubuntu and Linux Mint which itself is Ubuntu-based.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:saiarcot895/myppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install apt-fast
After installing the apt-fast package, you will have to configure apt-fast in the command line:
- In the Package manager to install and remove software, the apt-fast option should be red. Press Enter to continue.
- Type the number of simultaneous connections you want for apt-fast. Press Enter.
- Choose whether to suppress apt-fast confirmation. Leave the No option red if you want the confirmation to be displayed every time. Press Enter.
How to use the apt-fast command in Ubuntu?
The apt-fast
command works similar to apt-get. You can use it to install packages on
your Linux distro just like you do with apt-get command.
For more information about using apt-fast, you can view its man page:
man apt-fast
You can visit Matt Parnell’s Git repository to know more about apt-fast installation. There you will find mirrors which can be added to the apt-fast.conf file to distribute load and increase download speeds.
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