Discover What’s Already Installed and Running on Your Raspberry Pi

Learn how to list all installed programs, services, and running processes on your Raspberry Pi using various methods. …


Updated October 26, 2023

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Learn how to list all installed programs, services, and running processes on your Raspberry Pi using various methods.

  1. Using the dpkg command:

The first method involves using the dpkg command in the terminal. This command lists all packages that have been installed via apt-get, which is the package manager for Debian-based systems like Raspbian, the default operating system for Raspberry Pi. To list all installed packages, open a terminal window and enter the following command:

dpkg --list

This will output a long list of packages with their descriptions, versions, and statuses (either installed or not installed). If you want to filter the list to only show installed packages, use the following command:

dpkg --list | grep "^ii"

This will display all packages that have a status of “installed”.

  1. Using the apt command:

Another way to find installed programs on your Raspberry Pi is by using the apt command. This tool provides more information about each package, such as its dependencies and size. To list all installed packages along with their versions, use the following command:

apt list --installed

You can also search for a specific package using the --names-only option:

apt list --installed | grep <package_name>

Replace <package_name> with the name of the software you want to find.

  1. Using the top command:

The top command is a great way to view all running processes on your Raspberry Pi in real-time. It displays information about each process, such as its PID (process ID), user, CPU and memory usage, and more. To start the top command, enter:

top

Press q to exit the top interface. If you want to find a specific program or service in the list, use the / key followed by the name of the process. For example:

/apache2

This will search for any processes containing “apache2” and highlight them in the list.

These three methods can help you discover what software is currently installed on your Raspberry Pi, as well as provide useful information about each package or process. With this knowledge, you can better manage your device and ensure that it’s running optimally.