Package managers
A package manager is a program that is responsible for the installation, upgrade, and removal of software packages. In the older approach where software developers are responsible for the installation procedure, they are free to choose whether to distribute their software as an executable that unpacks and installs files or as an archive that the user must unpack manually, and the choice of archive and compression algorithms is also on the developers.
By contrast, package managers usually use a very precise definition of a software package. To make a software project installable with a package manager, its maintainer must create a package file that follows a set of guidelines for its internal structure. Apart from the files needed for a software product to work, package files also contain metadata in a specific format. Metadata files contain information about the package, such as its name, version, license, and lists of other packages that it depends on.
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