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I want to ask about the following command:

sudo apt-get install ca-certificates

I think in installs ca certificate authority certificates for validation but what is not clear to me is: How can I check if my system has this installed? If I run this command, am I responsible to make sure it is updated regularly? Are there any caveats to watch out if I run this command?
What I do see in case it matters is that (btw this is in Kubuntu 24.04)

$ ls -al /etc/apt/keyrings
total 8
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 4096 Apr  8  2022 .
drwxr-xr-x 8 root root 4096 Sep 28 00:12 ..
Jim
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2 Answers2

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You are not responsible of running the apt-get install command regularly, but you should keep your entire system up-to-date (with apt-get update & apt-get upgrade). You could also configure Automatic Security Updates.

The apt-get(8) is the APT package handling utility -- command-line interface. The install:

install is followed by one or more packages desired for installation or upgrading.

The ca-certificates is a package. Your command sudo apt-get install ca-certificates does not specify a fixed version, so it will install (or upgrade) the latest version.

A specific version of a package can be selected for installation by following the package name with an equals and the version of the package to select. This will cause that version to be located and selected for install. Alternatively a specific distribution can be selected by following the package name with a slash and the version of the distribution or the Archive name (stable, testing, unstable).

Both of the version selection mechanisms can downgrade packages and must be used with care.

Although the command does upgrade the package if it is not the latest version, it is more important that it marks the package as installed in the package management. When a package is installed, it will be upgraded automatically along with all the other packages installed on the system, when you run the normal upgrade commands:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
Esa Jokinen
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If you're encountering SSL or certificate verification errors, especially when accessing secure websites or running certain applications, it's a strong sign that the ca-certificates package may need to be installed or updated. Keeping this package current ensures your system recognizes trusted certificate authorities and maintains secure connections.

Check out residencerenew.com for helpful insights on managing software configurations and other tech essentials.

Diana J. Lanier
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