i the abstraction over all package managers

i stands for install. You can use i to install any software via any package manager.

TL;DR i is an abstraction over all other package managers available on Linux/MacOS.

Note

lazyinstaller is the TUI version of the same abstraction concept.

Why ?

If you used to apt or brew, and need to use dnf or swupd. It is hard sometimes. But if you use i, it will be always the same.

Install 'i'

Run the installation script in the terminal like this:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/abanoubha/i/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Or use Go to install i:

go install github.com/abanoubha/i@latest

If you cloned/downloaded project source code, use the included installation script in scripts/install.sh like this:

sh scripts/install.sh

Or build the project from source:

# get project deps/libs, then build the binary/executable and call it 'i'
go mod tidy && go build -o i .

# run the program
./i

Upgrade 'i'

To get the up to date (upgrade) 'i', use this command:

i selfup
# or
i selfupdate
# or
i selfupgrade

Or run the installation script again in the terminal like this:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/abanoubha/i/main/scripts/install.sh | sh

Or use Go to upgrade i:

go install github.com/abanoubha/i@latest

Uninstall 'i' tool

Use the dedicated subcommand like this:

i selfun
# or
i selfuninstall
# or
i selfdelete

Or run the uninstall script in the terminal like this:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/abanoubha/i/main/scripts/uninstall.sh | sh

It will inform you that the i tool is removed.

supported package managers

You can list all supported package managers using i pmlist:

$ i pmlist
Supported package managers:
- apk
- apt
- brew
- dnf
- emerge
- flatpak
- nix-env
- pacman
- pkg
- snap
- xbps
- yum
- zypper

package manager	exec	Operating Systems	status
brew (Homebrew)	1	MacOS, Linux, BSD	✅
port (MacPorts)	1	MacOS	✅
apt	1	Linux (Debian-based)	✅
apt-get	1	Linux (Debian-based)	apt
dnf	1	Linux (Fedora)	✅
nix-env	1	Linux, NixOS	✅
pacman	1	Linux	✅
rpm	1	Linux	✅
emerge	1	Linux	✅
zypper	1	Linux	✅
apk	1	Linux	✅
xbps	1	Linux	✅
snap	2	Linux	✅
flatpak	2	Linux	✅
pkg	2	Linux	✅
yum	2	Linux	✅
scoop	2	Linux	✅
pkgsrc	2	Linux	---
urpm	2	Linux	✅
slackpkg	2	Linux	✅
prt-get	2	Linux	✅
pkgman	2	Linux	✅
opkg	2	Linux	✅
eopkg	2	Linux	✅
guix	2	Linux	✅
cards	2	Linux	✅
winget	2	Windows	✅
choco (Chocolatey)	2	Windows	✅

* exec stands for execution priority. * pm stands for package manager.

How to use i the abstraction over all package managers

# install a package
i install vim
# or
i add vim

# search for a package
i search vim
# or
i find vim

# show info about a package
i info vim
# or
i show vim

# uninstall a package
i uninstall vim
# or
i remove vim
# or
i rm vim
# un
i un vim

# upgrade a package
i upgrade vim
# or
i update vim
# or
i up vim

# upgrade all packages installed by all found package managers
i upgrade
# or
i update
# or
i up

You can add --quiet flag to get less verbose output with less details like this:

$ sudo i --quiet install vim
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
vim is already the newest version (2:9.1.0016-1ubuntu7.9).
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 44 not upgraded.

As you can see, --quiet flag will show less details about the installation process.

Show all installed/found package managers on your system:

$ i pms
Available package managers:
- apt
- snap

Specify a package manager to use

Force i to use apt to install vim:

i --apt install vim

Force i to use brew to get info about vim:

i --brew info vim

Force i to use a specific package manager

You can force i to use a specific package manager by aliasing i to the package manager name or by symlinking i to the package manager name.

• aliasing i to a package manager:

alias apt=/usr/bin/i

• Or create a symlink:

ln -s /usr/bin/i /usr/local/bin/apt

So, you can use apt install vim to install vim using the apt package manager through the i alias/symlink.

build executables for all operating systems / platforms

Clone the 'i' project:

git clone --depth 1 -b main https://github.com/abanoubha/i.git

Go inside the project directory/folder:

cd i

To build executables for all supported platforms, operating systems, and architectures, run this command while you are inside the cloned/downloaded project source code:

sh scripts/build-all.sh

The executables/binaries for all supported OSes will be inside ./dist directory/folder.

You can specify the version/release number (if you like):

sh scripts/build-all.sh v260130

Or you can run manual command for each OS/arch to build its compatible executable like these commands:

# linux 64 bit (current os)
go build -o i-linux-x64 .
# linux 64 bit (if not working on Linux distro)
GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o i-linux-x64 .

# windows 64 bit
GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o i-windows-x64.exe .

# macOS M-series
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=arm64 go build -o i-macos-apple-silicon .
# macOS intel 64 bit
GOOS=darwin GOARCH=amd64 go build -o i-macos-x64 .

versioning

I use a simple date as a version number for releases. If I released a version on Jan 30, 2026 , I will set the version number as 260130 and named v260130 (prefixed with v for version).

260130
^ ^ ^
y m d

26      01       30
^       ^        ^
year    month    day

Are 'i' source code anywhere else?

yes, you can find 'i' project on:

• https://github.com/abanoubha/i
• https://codeberg.org/abanoubha/i
• https://gitlab.com/abanoubha/i