Upgrade vs Dist-Upgrade
tl;dr
apt upgradejust upgrades all installed apps, andapt dist-upgradeinstalls apps and installs/removes dependenciesdist-upgrademight screw up other dependencies.
Someone who knows what they're talking about
While 'apt upgrade' offers a conservative approach to upgrading packages without installing or removing any additional software, 'apt dist-upgrade' provides a more comprehensive solution, handling complex dependency changes and minimizing the impact on other packages.
The decision to perform a dist-upgrade is recommended for keeping your system up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes but on an unknown VM should be based on a careful assessment of the risks involved!
A dist-upgrade may install new packages or remove existing.
If you decide to dist-upgrade, check to have the availability of a backup or a rollback, to restore the original state.
Risks when Decide:
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dist-upgrademay install new packages or remove them, this can lead to conflicts between packages, if there are custom configurations or thirdparty software installed on the system. -
It can introduce changes that may not be fully tested or compatible with your specific environment, this can result in system instability, crashes, or unpredictable behavior.
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If the vm has been customized or has a specific software, the configurations may overwriten or conflicts with those customizations and could lead to issues with the function.
Risks when not decide:
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By not upgrading the system components, you might miss out important security updates that could leave your system vulnerable to exploits and attacks.
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Newer packages and dependencies may not be compatible with older versions.
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You might miss out on bug fixes, performance improvements, and new features introduced in the updated packages.
Why use apt-get upgrade instead of apt-get dist-upgrade?
Apt Upgrade vs Apt Dist-upgrade: The Key Differences
What's the difference between apt-get upgrade vs dist-upgrade?