Summary

  • PacHub provides a GTK4/libadwaita GUI for pacman and AUR, so you can avoid the terminal.
  • PacHub can install/uninstall packages, perform upgrades, and provide auto-AUR support via yay or paru.
  • It's not in the Arch repos or AUR, so you'll need to grab it from GitHub manually.

Arch Linux has a reputation for being one of the toughest operating systems to set up, but we're seeing tools emerge and develop to make getting the distro up and running easier. Even Arch Linux's bundled service, Archinstall, has been enjoying updates that make it easier to use. However, once people have the distro successfully running on their computers... then what?

Well, it seems PacHub has an answer. This third-party app makes it much easier to use the legendary duo of Pacman and the Arch User Repository (AUR) by adding a UI that can control both. And while it's not officially part of Arch's app package just yet, we hope it gets added soon.

PacHub takes the terminal out of using Arch Linux's popular services

Everything is packaged into a tidy UI

Credit: mrks1469

As spotted by Linuxiac, you can check out this cool project over on the PacHub Github page. It's built using GTK4 and libadwaita, and its main goal is to provide a clean, sleek UI for both pacman and the AUR. This means you don't need to touch the terminal to use either of these tools, which is a huge plus for beginners or people who just prefer a graphical interface.

Here are some key features for PacHub and how it handles packages:

Package management

  • Browse all installed packages with live search and per-repository filtering
  • Install packages from official repos (core, extra, multilib) and the AUR
  • Uninstall packages with a single click
  • One-click full system upgrade (pacman -Syu)
  • Automatic AUR support via yay or paru if either is installed

Package detail panel

  • Full package info (pacman -Qi / -Si) shown inline
  • Installed file list per package
  • Colour-coded repository badges (CORE · EXTRA · AUR · MULTILIB · LOCAL)
  • Status pills showing installed / available / needs update / foreign state

The tool also adds some handy pacman commands at the click of a button, such as checking for updates, cleaning the package cache, and syncing your databases. It will also select the fastest mirrors to your location for the best download speeds.

Unfortunately, PacHub isn't available in either Arch's repositories or the AUR, so you'll need to head to the GitHub page linked above and download the files manually. Here's hoping it finds a place in the repositories; it seems like an excellent tool.