Nala

Spec sheet

What it does

Nala is a command-line front end for libapt-pkg that aims to make APT package operations easier to inspect before committing changes.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Purpose

Nala is a command-line front-end for libapt-pkg, currently being rewritten in Rust on top of rust-apt.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Platforms

The installation wiki describes packages for Debian and Ubuntu, plus Debian and Ubuntu based distributions; it says Ubuntu 18.04, Debian Buster, and older are not officially supported.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Support

The repository links to GitLab Issues for bug reports and feature requests.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

License

The GitLab project page lists the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Maker

The project is hosted under Volian Linux on GitLab; the opened project page does not state the maker’s headquarters or founding date.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

APT compatibility

APT options can be passed through with -o KEY=VALUE, and proxy support uses APT acquire configuration.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Configuration

Nala uses TOML configuration for transaction behavior, UI mode, units, color mode, and theme.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Configuration and output

Nala uses TOML configuration and supports plain, inline, and optional full-screen terminal UI modes.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Dependency resolution

YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · gitlab.com

Distribution

The installation wiki lists Debian Testing/Sid and the Volian Scar repository as installation options.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Downloads

Nala includes a parallel package downloader with per-domain connection limits and verifies package download hashes before installation.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

History

Nala stores transaction history as individual JSON records and supports inspection, undo, redo, and clearing history.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Install options

The installation wiki describes Debian packages, a Volian Scar repository, Pacstall, local .deb installation, and installation from source.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Mirrors

The nala fetch command selects mirrors, with automatic and interactive terminal UI modes.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Notable limit

The installation wiki says Nala does not work on Ubuntu 18.04, Debian Buster, or older releases through its described package installation because their Python versions and required packages are too old.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Package discovery

Its commands include list, search, show, and policy.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Package formats

.debRead 22 Sep 2026 · gitlab.com

Package management

Nala provides commands to list, search, show, install, remove, update, upgrade, and autoremove packages.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Package operations

Its transaction commands include install, remove, autoremove, update, and upgrade, with normal, safe, and full upgrade modes.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Package sources

Nala supports installing local .deb files and ingesting packages from direct URLs.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Project date

The GitLab project page says it was created on December 07, 2021.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Project status

The repository is transitioning from its original Python implementation to a Rust implementation.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Security behavior

Package-changing commands require root privileges; Nala checks for root, shows planned changes before committing, and records applied transactions.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Supported platforms

Debian,Ubuntu,and derivativesRead 22 Sep 2026 · gitlab.com

Transaction history

Nala records transaction history and provides history inspection, undo, redo, and clearing commands.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Upgrade modes

Upgrade commands support normal, safe, and full upgrade modes, plus glob-style package exclusions.Read 12 Oct 2026 · gitlab.com

Plans and prices

Every Nala plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Package Managers#39 of 938.0