TL;DR
- Create a directory where you want to store your AUR packages and
cdinto it
mkdir aur-packages
cd aur-packages- clone the repository you need
auracle clone insert_package_name- build the package so you can install the program locally
extra-x86_64-build- install the program with pacman
pacman -U the_package_file.pkg.tar.gzWhat is the AUR?
AUR is short for “Arch User Repository”. A repository is a storage location for software packages. You can retrieve the packages from it to install software. As you can derivce from the name, this repository harbors package building instructions (PKGBUILDs) created by the community. The PKGBUILDs must follow the rules of submission.
What is the difference to core/extra Packages?
As you can read in the official wiki
- core contains everything needed to build a minimum functional Arch Linux OS
- extra holds useful, officially maintained software, such as window managers, web browsers etc.
- the AUR holds PKGBUILDs provided by anybody. The only requirement to do so is to be a registered user. If a package receives enough community interest and support by a package maintainer, it can be moved to be officially maintained in the extra repository.
Security Notice
While the English wiki page warns you that everything you install from the AUR is “at your own risk”, you might wonder what you can do to assert if a PKGBUILD is trustworthy. The German wiki provides a neat checklist and examples to look out for.
- read the package’s comments in the AUR. Someone else might have encountered an issue already
- do not build the package as root
- check url= and source=
- check for harmful code
Why use extra-x86_64-build?
There are plenty AUR helpers and ways to build a package. You can chose the one you like best.
extra-x86_64-build is a helper script from the official devtools package, so I did not have to waste thoughts on the trustworthiness.
