Speed Up Apt Package Downloads with Apt-fast - A Guide

Accelerating Ubuntu Package Management with Apt-Fast

Ubuntu, by default, utilizes the apt-get tool for package installation and system updates. While functional, apt-get’s download speeds can often be improved. Apt-Fast provides a significant performance boost when downloading and updating packages on your Ubuntu system.

How Apt-Fast Enhances Download Speeds

Apt-Fast is a script developed by Matt Parnell, capable of increasing download speeds by up to 26 times. It achieves this through the use of Axel, a command-line application designed to accelerate HTTP/FTP downloads.

The core principle behind Apt-Fast is simple: it establishes multiple connections to the server, or even multiple servers, to download data concurrently. This functionality mirrors that of a torrent client, which downloads different segments of a file from various sources simultaneously.

By distributing the download load, Apt-Fast effectively mitigates the impact of server congestion, resulting in faster and more reliable downloads.

Installation Procedure

To install Apt-Fast, begin by downloading the “apt-fast.sh” file from the link provided at the end of this article. Once the download is complete, open a terminal window to proceed with the installation.

First, navigate to the directory containing the downloaded file. Then, rename the file using the following command:

mv apt-fast.sh apt-fast

Next, move the renamed file to the “/usr/bin” directory to make it executable. Execute this command:

mv apt-fast /usr/bin/

Finally, grant execution permissions to the file with this command:

chmod +x apt-fast

With these steps completed, Apt-Fast is now successfully installed and ready for use.

Using Apt-Fast

For all subsequent package installation and update operations, simply replace “apt-get” with “apt-fast” in your command-line instructions.

For example, instead of:

apt-get install chromium

You would use:

apt-fast install chromium

Similarly, to update your package lists, replace:

apt-get update

With:

apt-fast update

Enjoy the significantly improved download speeds that Apt-Fast provides. Be sure to revisit for further insights into optimizing your Ubuntu experience.

Download apt-fast [via Mattparnell]