Install *.deb file with "apt install"

Question

What's the difference between installing a *.deb file with dpkg vs. apt?

I've been installing *.deb packages that I download (like Zoom) using "sudo apt install./zoom-file.deb". It seems to work since I'm using Zoom and am not experiencing problems, but is there a difference if I "sudo dpkg -i./zoom-file.deb" instead?

thx

Answer 1

I had the same question a few months ago. I'll link some articles at the end.

"The apt-get uses dpkg for the actual package installation."

"APT stands for Advanced Packaging Tools used in Debian and its derivatives to manage packages. It is used for installing, upgrading, configuring, removing packages, and maintaining source repositories.

DPKG (Debian Package Manager) works under the hood of APT. While APT manages remote repositories and resolves dependencies for you, it uses dpkg to actually make the changes of installing/removing packages. dpkg on itself cannot retrieve/download files from remote repositories, nor can it figure out dependencies."

As you can conclude, APT delegates to DPKG.

You can find more info here

• https://www.linuxfordevices.com/tutorials/debian/apt-vs-dpkg-debian
• https://www.bogotobogo.com/Linux/linux-Package-Management-System-Ubuntu-apt-get-vs-dpkg.php

Hope this helps.