APT-OSTREE(1)

NAME
apt-ostree - Debian/Ubuntu equivalent of rpm-ostree

SYNOPSIS
apt-ostree [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]

DESCRIPTION
apt-ostree is a tool for managing atomic, immutable deployments on Debian and Ubuntu systems using OSTree as the backend. It provides functionality similar to rpm-ostree but adapted for APT package management, enabling atomic updates and rollbacks on Debian-based systems.

The tool integrates APT package management with OSTree's atomic deployment model, allowing system administrators to maintain immutable system images while still benefiting from Debian's package ecosystem.

COMMANDS

  Package Management Commands

info PACKAGE
    Display detailed information about a package, including dependencies, conflicts, and metadata.

search QUERY
    Search for packages in the APT repositories.

install PACKAGES
    Install packages and create a new OSTree deployment.

remove PACKAGES
    Remove packages and create a new OSTree deployment.

upgrade
    Upgrade all packages and create a new OSTree deployment.

rollback
    Rollback to the previous OSTree deployment.

status
    Show the current OSTree deployment status.

  System Management Commands

deploy DEPLOYMENT
    Deploy a specific OSTree deployment.

rebase REPO [BRANCH]
    Rebase to a different OSTree repository or branch.

cleanup
    Clean up old deployments and unused objects.

log Show deployment history and changes.

remote
    Manage OSTree remotes.

refs
    List available references in the OSTree repository.

  Kernel and Boot Commands

kargs
    Manage kernel command-line arguments.

initramfs
    Manage initial RAM filesystem regeneration.

  Transaction Management Commands

transaction
    Manage atomic transactions for system changes.

start-daemon
    Start the apt-ostreed system daemon.

  Development Commands (Hidden)

testutils
    Development and testing utilities (hidden command).

shlib-backend
    Shared library backend operations (hidden command).

internals
    Internal system diagnostics (hidden command).

  Experimental Commands

compose
    Compose new OSTree trees.

db  Query package database.

override
    Manage package overrides.

reset
    Reset system to clean state.

refresh-md
    Refresh metadata.

  Container Commands

container
    Manage container operations.

  Telemetry Commands

metrics
    Export system metrics.

health
    Check system health status.

OPTIONS

-h, --help
    Show help message and exit.

-V, --version
    Show version information and exit.

--verbose
    Enable verbose output.

--quiet
    Suppress non-error messages.

--json
    Output in JSON format.

--pretty
    Pretty-print output.

EXAMPLES

Show package information:
    apt-ostree info apt

Search for packages:
    apt-ostree search curl

Install a package:
    apt-ostree install nginx

Remove a package:
    apt-ostree remove apache2

Upgrade all packages:
    apt-ostree upgrade

Rollback to previous deployment:
    apt-ostree rollback

Manage kernel arguments:
    apt-ostree kargs --append console=ttyS0

Start the daemon:
    apt-ostree start-daemon

FILES

/etc/apt-ostree/
    Configuration directory for apt-ostree.

/var/lib/apt-ostree/
    Data directory for apt-ostree.

/ostree/
    OSTree repository and deployments.

/etc/systemd/system/apt-ostreed.service
    Systemd service file for the daemon.

ENVIRONMENT

APT_OSTREE_CONFIG
    Path to configuration file (default: /etc/apt-ostree/config.toml).

APT_OSTREE_DATA_DIR
    Path to data directory (default: /var/lib/apt-ostree).

APT_OSTREE_LOG_LEVEL
    Log level for debugging (default: info).

APT_OSTREE_DAEMON_SOCKET
    Path to daemon socket (default: /run/apt-ostreed.sock).

EXIT STATUS

0   Success.

1   General error.

2   Configuration error.

3   Package operation failed.

4   OSTree operation failed.

77  No changes detected (for --unchanged-exit-77 option).

BUGS
Report bugs to the project issue tracker at https://github.com/robojerk/apt-ostree/issues.

AUTHOR
Written by Robojerk <robojerk@example.com>.

COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2025 Robojerk. License GPL-3.0-or-later: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>. This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
ostree(1), apt(8), dpkg(1), rpm-ostree(1), systemctl(1), polkit(8)

The full documentation for apt-ostree is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If the info and apt-ostree programs are properly installed at your site, the command

    info apt-ostree

should give you access to the complete manual.