How to check installed package version in Linux?

How to Check Installed Package Version in Linux

Direct Answer:

To check the installed package version in Linux, you can use the dpkg or apt-cache command, depending on the package manager used by your Linux distribution.

Methods to Check Installed Package Version in Linux

Linux distributions have different package managers, and each has its own way to check the version of a package. Here are some common methods:

Using dpkg Command

• The dpkg command is used to manage Debian-based package manager.
• To check the version of a package using dpkg, use the following command:

  dpkg --list | grep <package_name>

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check.

Example:

dpkg --list | grep nginx

This command will list all packages installed on your system and grep will filter the output to show only the packages that match the word nginx. The version of the package will be shown along with other details.

Using apt-cache Command

• The apt-cache command is used to manage APT-based package manager.
• To check the version of a package using apt-cache, use the following command:

  apt-cache show <package_name>

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check.

Example:

apt-cache show nginx

This command will display detailed information about the package, including its version.

Using package-query Command

• The package-query command is used to query package information.
• To check the version of a package using package-query, use the following command:

  package-query --show <package_name>

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check.

Example:

package-query --show nginx

This command will display detailed information about the package, including its version.

Using pip and pip3 Commands (For Python Packages)

• If you’re using Python packages, you can check the version using the pip or pip3 command.
• To check the version of a package using pip or pip3, use the following command:

  pip <package_name> --version

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check.

Example:

pip nginx --version

This command will display the version of the package.

Using yum and sudo yum Commands (For RPM-based Distributions)

• If you’re using RPM-based distributions (such as RHEL, CentOS, Fedora), you can check the version using the yum or sudo yum command.
• To check the version of a package using yum or sudo yum, use the following command:

  yum info <package_name>

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check.

Example:

yum info nginx

This command will display detailed information about the package, including its version.

Tips and Variations

• To get the specific version of a package installed on your system, use the following command:

  dpkg --version

  This command will display the version of the dpkg package.

• To get the list of all installed packages, use the following command:

  dpkg -l

  This command will display a list of all packages installed on your system.

• To search for a package, use the following command:

  apt-cache search <package_name>

  Replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to search for.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the various ways to check the installed package version in Linux. By using the dpkg, apt-cache, package-query, pip, pip3, and yum commands, you can easily check the version of a package installed on your Linux system. Remember to replace <package_name> with the actual name of the package you want to check, and use the correct command based on your Linux distribution.