Arch Linux Pacman

Clearing Package Cache¶

Packages downloaded by Pacman are stored in "/var/cache/pacman/pkg". The downloaded packages are not cleared over time even when a package is uninstalled.

With the use of "paccache" script provided by the "pacman-contrib" package, it allows for deletion of all cached versions of installed and uninstalled packages. By default the most recent 3 cached versions will be kept.

Solution: Manual¶

1. First install the required package.

   # pacman -Sy pacman-contrib
   

2. Remove all except the most recent 3 cached versions.

   # paccache -r
   

3. Remove all except the most recent 2 cache versions with verbose output.

   # paccache -rk2v
   

4. Remove all cached versions for uninstalled packages.

   # paccache -ruk0
   

Solution: Automatic¶

Default behaviour is to run weekly to clear unused packages.

1. Install required package.

   # pacman -Sy pacman-contrib
   

2. Edit interval as desired.

   # nano /etc/systemd/system/paccache.timer
   

   [Unit]
   Description=Discard unused packages weekly
   
   [Timer]
   OnCalendar=weekly
   AccuracySec=1h
   Persistent=true
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=timers.target
   

3. Enable paccache Timer

   # systemctl enable paccache.timer
   

External Links¶

• pacman - ArchWiki