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Stretch-Backport Repository | About

Did you know that Backports repository offers packages for the Debian stable system? These packages are recompiled either from testing or unstable distribution.

It is essential to be aware that these packages come without any security support guarantee.

Although Debian Stable is extremely stable, it is very slow-moving. Hence, we can get stuck with outdated software. Fortunately, backports repositories allow us to install newer versions of some software on our Debian Stable system. Let’s take a look at how to use backports on Debian Stable.

1. To begin, we have to open our sources file and add the following two lines at the bottom.

   deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch-backports main
deb-src http://ftp.debian.org/debian stretch-backports main
2. Then run this command for the change to take effect:

   $ sudo apt update

How To Install A Package From Backports

Our experts would like to point out that Debian does not prioritize the backports repository by default. In most cases, we have to use backports for new versions of specific packages, without updating the entire system.

When we are installing a package from backports, we can use the -t flag with Apt to mention the backports repo.

For instance, if we want the latest version of LibreOffice from backports, we have to use this command:

$ sudo apt install -t stretch-backports libreoffice

Furthermore, if we want the latest kernel on Debian Stable, we can run:

$ sudo apt install -t stretch-backports linux-image-amd64

On the other hand, we can also do a complete update From Backports. This process searches through everything and installs updates where applicable.

Additionally, we have to manually specify that Debian has to update from backports every time. Let us know in the comments if you need further help with Stretch-Backport Repository.

[Need assistance with a different issue? Our team is available 24/7.]

Conclusion

To conclude, our Support Techs introduced us to Stretch-Backport Repository and how to Install a package from Backports.