autoremove

Autoremove is a feature in many operating system package managers that automatically removes packages that were installed as dependencies and are no longer needed by any installed package. The intent is to reclaim disk space and keep the system lean by eliminating orphaned libraries and tools.

Mechanism: When you install a package, the package manager may mark it as automatically installed if it was only needed to satisfy another package's dependencies. If later updates or removals leave no installed package requiring those automatically installed packages, an autoremove operation may be offered or executed automatically depending on configuration. Before removal, the manager typically presents a list for review and may support a dry-run or simulation mode.

Examples: On Debian-based systems, apt and apt-get offer autoremove. Running sudo apt autoremove removes unneeded dependencies; it does not purge configuration files of removed packages. For Red Hat-based systems, dnf provides dnf autoremove with a similar effect. Other distributions provide equivalent commands or options.

Safety and best practices: Review the list of packages to be removed to ensure nothing essential is misidentified as unneeded. Consider performing a simulation first (apt --simulate autoremove or dnf --simulate autoremove). On servers, maintain backups and consider pinning or manual installation of critical components if necessary.

See also: dependency management, orphaned packages, apt-mark, manual versus automatic installation.