NO INTERNETREQUIRED

This new utility lets you update a system that is notconnected to the Internet.

- By Bruce Byfield

Debian’s APT package manager has dozens of utilities. Apparently, though, there is always room for one more. In 2022, apt-offline appeared [1] and was soon judged “amazing” on the TLDR website [2]. Written by Ritesh Raj Sarraf, apt-offline fills a gap in the array of APT utilities by providing a systematic means of updating the packages on an offline machine. As Sarraf writes on the project's GitHub site, “Most people with slow or no Internet connection (mostly people from third-world countries), may not have considered using Debian (or Debian derived distributions), because Debian’s real taste is experienced when it is connected to the Internet. This utility is an attempt [to eradicate] that problem.”

Today, apt-offline is compatible with most Debian-based systems and available from their repositories. However, Linux TLDR advises against installing from Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 20.04 LTS because they use an old version of apt-offline that “has Python-related deprecation issues.” Instead, TLDR suggests installing apt-offline v1.8.5 from Ubuntu 23.04 or later, using, if necessary,

sudo apt --fix-broken install

Neither Debian nor any other derivative is reported as having any problems.

Setting Up apt-offline

Using apt-offline requires two systems: one offline and one with an Internet connection. The connected system must run on Linux or Windows. Packages are downloaded on the connected system and then transferred to the offline system, either by connecting the two systems or by using an external drive. The process involves switching back and forth, starting with the offline system, then transferring to the connected system for the download, and then copying the downloads to the offline system.