Short description
The experimental release of Advanced Package Tool (APT) 2.7 package manager has introduced initial support for snapshot repositories, with a stable version expected to be released in Debian 13. The feature is accessible with the support argument –snapshot and snapshots will be in the format YYYYMMDDTHHMMSSZ. APT 2.7 is an experimental release and will be tested with plans to add full support for it in APT 2.8. APT 2.8 is expected to have full snapshot support and will be included in Debian 13 and Ubuntu release. Other distributions using the APT-RPM fork should also receive the update.
Support for snapshots appeared in APT 2.7
In the experimental release of the Advanced Package Tool (APT) 2.7 package manager, initial support for snapshot repositories appeared. A stable version of the feature is expected to arrive in the Debian 13 distribution.
The tool for working with snapshots is implemented using the support argument --snapshot. In the official announcement, the developers note that APT 2.7 is an experimental release. The project team is currently testing the feature and plans to add full support for it only in APT 2.8. The implementation of the tool is subject to change.
Snapshots are accessed in the format YYYYMMDDTHHMMSSZ. For example, if you call the command --snapshot 20220102T030405Z, then it will be possible to work with the state of the repository recorded on January 2, 2022 at 03:04:05. With the help of the command --update you can specify to install the latest version of the package.
Full snapshot support is expected to appear in APT 2.8. After that, the utility will be included in the Debian 13 and Ubuntu release. Other distributions using the APT-RPM fork should also receive the update.
