Introduction to Package Recovery
When a package update goes wrong, it can leave your system in a mess. I’ve seen this go wrong when a dependency is broken or a package is not properly configured. This is where dpkg and apt come to the rescue. As of 2026, these tools remain essential for managing packages on Debian-based systems, including Ubuntu and its derivatives. In this article, we’ll explore how to recover from a botched package update using dpkg and apt history.