Package Manager in Windows

Introduction to Package Managers

Package managers are tools that simplify the installation, update, and removal of software packages on a computer system.

This is similar to how apps are installed on Android and iOS phones through their respective app stores. Just like you select and install apps seamlessly from the app store, package managers simplify software installation on computers.

Package Manager Benefits

Android/iOS Play Store: These platforms contain millions of verified applications, offering users a convenient and secure way to install their desired apps.

Key advantages include:

• Secure and curated list of application available
• Automation: Time-saving benefits with automatic updates and easy upgrades to the latest applications.
• Standardization: Maintain a consistent software environment with standardized installations.
• Utilize a single window for installing, upgrading, and uninstalling all applications.
• Rest assured with validated, trusted, and secure applications, free from viruses and malware.
• Save time by installing and upgrading applications from a single, efficient platform.
• Stay Up-to-Date of your favorite applications.
• Save time and effort through automation
• Applications are consistently installed with the same settings across multiple computers, maintaining uniformity in application and installation configurations.

References:

• https://docs.chocolatey.org/en-us/why
• https://play.google/about/howplayworks
• https://developer.apple.com/app-store/features/

Platform	Application Store
Microsoft Windows 3rd Party	Chocolatey
Android	PlayStore
Apple iOS	AppStore
Microsoft Windows	Microsoft Store
Ubuntu Linux	apt-get
RedHat Linux	yum

Automation with Package Managers

Package managers automate the software management process by handling dependencies, tracking installed packages, and providing a centralized repository of available software packages. This automation saves time and effort by eliminating the need for manual intervention in software installations and updates.

With a package manager, you can easily install, update, and remove software packages with a few simple commands. This automation ensures that software installations are consistent and reproducible across different systems, making it ideal for managing software on multiple machines.

Chocolatey: Windows Package Manager of Choice

Chocolatey (chocolatey.org) is a popular package manager for Windows that simplifies software management. It is built on top of the NuGet infrastructure, which is widely used in the .NET development community. Chocolatey provides a command-line interface (CLI) and a vast repository of software packages.

Some other alternative package managers for Windows: winget, scoop

Why choose Chocolatey for Windows

• Simplifies software installations and updates
• Offers a vast repository of packages
• Provides a consistent and automated approach to software management
• Integrates well with existing Windows tools and workflows

Installing Chocolatey

System Requirements

• Windows 11

Installing Chocolatey

To install Chocolatey, follow these steps

Open elevated command prompt

Run the following command in command prompt

@rem install chocolatey, run this script from "Administrator command prompt"
@"%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -NoProfile -InputFormat None -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET "PATH=%PATH%;%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\chocolatey\bin"
@rem don't wait for manual prompt, proceed without confirmation
choco feature enable -n=allowGlobalConfirmation

Reference

https://docs.chocolatey.org/en-us/choco/setup#install-with-cmd.exe

Installing FireFox using Chocolatey

Searching for Packages

• Visit the Chocolatey website (https://chocolatey.org/packages) and search for packages using the search bar.
• Use the Chocolatey CLI with the command:

choco search firefox

Installing a Package

• To install a package using Chocolatey, use the following command:

choco install firefox

Updating Packages in Chocolatey

Checking for Outdated Packages

• To check for outdated packages in Chocolatey, use the following command:

choco outdated

• This command will display a list of installed packages that have newer versions available.

Updating a Package

• To update a package in Chocolatey, execute the following command:

choco upgrade firefox

• To upgrade all the packages in Chocolatey, Run the following command in elevated command prompt

@rem Upgrade all applications installed via Chocolatey.
@rem Run this file periodically to keep your system up to date.
choco upgrade all
@rem Delete the new Desktop shortcuts
del c:\users\Public\Desktop\*.lnk

Chocolatey cheat sheet

This is a listing of all of the different things you can pass to choco.

Commands	Usage
choco find	Searches remote packages
choco install	Installs packages using configured sources
choco list	Lists local packages
choco uninstall	Uninstalls a package
choco upgrade	Upgrades packages from various sources

Installing basic Applications

Run the following command to install the basic applications on windows

@rem install base applications on desktops/laptops

@rem install base chocolatey packages
choco install choco-cleaner chocolatey chocolatey-core.extension chocolatey-misc-helpers.extension chocolatey-windowsupdate.extension

@rem install Windows utilities
choco install 7zip.install notepadplusplus notepadplusplus.install greenshot curl Everything microsoft-windows-terminal

@rem install browsers and internet utilities
choco install GoogleChrome Firefox Filezilla

@rem install PDF utilities
choco install pdfsam qpdf sumatrapdf

@rem install graphics/imaging applications
choco install imagemagick.app irfanview irfanviewplugins paint.net vlc

@rem install conferencing applications
choco install webex-meetings zoom zoom-client

@rem install sysadmin apps
@rem choco install putty putty.portable winscp winscp.install

@rem install development apps
@rem choco install heidisql vscode vscode.install

Upgrading all installed applications

To be run periodically to ensure all installations are up to date

@rem Upgrade all installed packages
choco upgrade all
@rem Delete the new Desktop shortcuts
del c:\users\Public\Desktop\*.lnk
@rem Clean chocolatey cache, needs "choco install choco-cleaner"
\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin\choco-cleaner.bat

Applications and their purpose

The list of application and their purpose are attached below

S.no	Category	Apps	Purpose
1	Windows utilities	7zip	A file archiver and compression utility.
		Notepad++	An advanced version of notepad with more features
		Greenshot	A screenshot capture tool
		Curl	A command-line tool for transferring data over the internet.
		Everything	It helps to search files or folders anywhere within the computer quickly.
		Windows Terminal	A modern terminal emulator for windows
2	Browsers	Google Chrome
		Firefox
		Filezilla	FTP tool to transfer files over internet
3	PDF utilities	pdfsam	PDF editing and splitting tool
		qpdf	PDF conversion tool
		SumatraPDF	A lightweight PDF viewer
4	Graphics apps	Image magick
		Irfanview
		Paint
		VLC
5	Conferencing apps	Webex
		Zoom
6	Sysadmin apps	Putty	An SSH client that can be used to connect to remote servers.
		Winscp	File transfer tool to transfer files between computers & servers
7	Development apps	Heidisql	Administrator tool for databases
		Vscode	Code editor with large no of community plugins