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PACKAGE FORMATS

Linux software is distributed in multiple formats. On EndeavourOS (Arch-based), the native format is .pkg.tar.zst managed by pacman. Everything else is either a portable runtime or requires extra steps.

Format Overview

Format	Native on EndeavourOS?	How to install
.pkg.tar.zst	Yes — official repos	sudo pacman -S pkgname
AUR (PKGBUILD)	Yes — via AUR helper	yay -S pkgname (see aur)
.AppImage	Portable — runs anywhere	chmod +x file.AppImage && ./file.AppImage
Flatpak	Universal sandbox	flatpak install flathub app.id
.deb	No — Debian/Ubuntu format	Convert with debtap, then sudo pacman -U
.rpm	No — Red Hat format	Avoid; use AUR or Flatpak equivalent instead
Snap	Not supported by default	Snapd is on AUR but not recommended on Arch

Which to Pick

Order of preference on EndeavourOS:

1. Official repo (pacman -S) — tracked, updated, cleanest
2. AUR (yay -S) — community-built but integrates fully with pacman
3. Flatpak — good for GUI apps not in AUR; sandboxed
4. AppImage — zero install, self-contained; use when nothing else is available
5. .deb / .rpm — last resort; package may be missing deps or conflict

Architecture

When downloading, pick the build that matches your CPU. Run uname -m to check — x86_64 means pick x64. See cpu_architectures for details.

AppImage Notes

AppImages don't integrate with your package manager, so they don't auto-update. For desktop integration (app launcher entry), use appimagelauncher from the AUR.

Flatpak Setup

sudo pacman -S flatpak
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

References

• Arch Wiki: AUR
• Flathub
• AppImageHub