An Aptfile is a file specifying Debian package requirements for a whole single project. It works by looking at the Aptfile, downloading the packages, installing them, and then installing dependencies.
APT is dependency hell. Dependency hell is when one of the dependencies are outside release cycle. This can break apps, especially when they get older and older while dependencies get newer and newer while causing breaking changes. Aptfiles install every dependency with one command, while following release cycle.
Also, APT packages are harder to be used by GUI app stores, like GNOME Software and KDE Discover. Aptfiles solve that, by containing information about the package in a single file.
Aptfiles are written in TOML format. You can write an Aptfile like this:
# Aptfile for hello-world
[aptfile]
# Main Aptfile data.
target = 1.0
[humanfriendly.info]
# This is designed to be read by appstores. Without it, you should NOT list your app on Linux
# app stores, and you should NOT recommend your app to non-developers. It's called "humanfriendly"
# because plain "package names" are made for experienced users and even "robots".
name = "Hello World"
description = "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit."
version = "1.0"
[apt.dependencies]
# dependencies is freeform. Any package can go in as a value. You can define just the major number,
# the major and minor number, or even all 3 numbers (major, minor, and patch). It is recommended to
# use the major and minor number. This example demonstrates requiring Python 3.9 or newer to run the
# program, including Cython. Written in pip format or "latest".
python3 = 3.9
cython3 = "latest"This is not a full list of Aptfile data values. See the guidelines for a (mostly) complete list.
No. However, it's a fairly new project and could get adopted by the Debian Project one day, and
be used as a Debian packaging standard, as Aptfile gets better and better. Do not confuse Aptfile with
the apt-file utility, suddenly with the same name.