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I installed Ubuntu 14.04 image on docker. After that, when I try to install packages inside the ubuntu image, I'm getting unable to locate package error: 

apt-get install curl

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package curl

How to fix this error?

Melursus
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Developer
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8 Answers8

833

It is because there is no package cache in the image, you need to run:

apt-get update

before installing packages, and if your command is in a Dockerfile, you'll then need:

apt-get -y install curl

To suppress the standard output from a command use -qq. E.g.

apt-get -qq -y install curl
Connor
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ISanych
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    this works for me, should i run -qq for all the times – Developer Dec 03 '14 at 14:03
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    -qq suppress output which you usually don't need in Dockerfile. Another nice trick - tell debconf that it is working in non interactive environment: echo 'debconf debconf/frontend select Noninteractive' | debconf-set-selections – ISanych Dec 03 '14 at 14:11
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    For some reason this doesn't work for me, still the same "E: Unable to locate package .." message – tblancog Aug 28 '16 at 02:48
  • "apt-get-update" and "apt-get install curl" worked fine! – Sindhu Oct 29 '17 at 00:28
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    I found that this error also happens in docker when it runs out of space. I ran `docker image prune` to free up space and that fixed it for me. – Jonathan Rys Nov 22 '19 at 16:26
  • Many thanks. After auto-installing 438th package I realized, that apt-get by default installs recommendations (oh boy), so it is useful to add `--no-install-recommends` to the mix. – greenoldman Oct 13 '21 at 19:48
  • thank you! works like a charm – mbenhalima Dec 02 '21 at 03:23
193

From the docs in May 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Always combine RUN apt-get update with apt-get install in the same RUN statement, for example

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y package-bar

(...)

Using apt-get update alone in a RUN statement causes caching issues and subsequent apt-get install instructions fail.

(...)

Using RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y ensures your Dockerfile installs the latest package versions with no further coding or manual intervention. This technique is known as “cache busting”.

creimers
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21

Add following command in Dockerfile:

RUN apt-get update
halfer
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Gourav Singla
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11

Make sure you don't have any syntax errors in your Dockerfile as this can cause this error as well. A correct example is:

RUN apt-get update \
    && apt-get -y install curl \
    another-package

It was a combination of fixing a syntax error and adding apt-get update that solved the problem for me.

Connor
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4

I found that mounting a local volume over /tmp can cause permission issues when the "apt-get update" runs, which prevents the package cache from being populated. Hopefully, this isn't something most people do, but it's something else to look for if you see this issue.

Groboclown
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4

Running apt-get update didn't solve it for me because, it always seemed to read the result of this command from cache and somehow the cache seemed to be corrupted. My suspicion is that, this happens if you have multiple docker containers having the same 'base image' ( for me it was python:3.8-slim).

So, here's what worked for me:

Stopping all Docker containers in the system

docker stop $(sudo docker ps -aq)

Removing all dangling containers

docker container prune

Removing all dangling images

docker image prune

After running these commands the docker build seems to lose the corrupted cache and does a clean apt-get update which fetches the correct package info and the package installations progress as expected.

because_im_batman
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1

I have met the same question when I try to install jre and I try the command "apt-get update" and then try "apt install default-jre" again and it worked !

I wish it can help you, good luck!

以司之名
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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-ask). – Community Sep 16 '21 at 17:22
-4

You need to update the package list in your Ubuntu:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install <package_name>
unnamed-bull
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