Package managers compared: apt, dnf, zypper, apk, pkg, Homebrew and winget side by side

What it is

Seven package managers, seven spellings of the same operations. NAME is the package identifier and PATTERN a search term.

Task	Debian/Ubuntu	RHEL/Fedora	SUSE	Alpine	FreeBSD	macOS (Homebrew)	Windows (winget)
Install	apt install NAME	dnf install NAME	zypper install NAME	apk add NAME	pkg install NAME	brew install NAME	winget install NAME
Remove	apt remove NAME	dnf remove NAME	zypper remove NAME	apk del NAME	pkg delete NAME	brew uninstall NAME	winget uninstall NAME
Search	apt search PATTERN	dnf search PATTERN	zypper search PATTERN	apk search PATTERN	pkg search PATTERN	brew search PATTERN	winget search PATTERN
List installed	apt list --installed	dnf list installed	zypper packages --installed-only	apk info	pkg info	brew list	winget list
Owning package for a file	dpkg -S /path	rpm -qf /path	rpm -qf /path	apk info --who-owns /path	pkg which /path	no built-in equivalent	no built-in equivalent
Hold / pin a version	apt-mark hold NAME	dnf versionlock add NAME (plugin)	zypper addlock NAME	apk add NAME=VERSION (the constraint is kept in /etc/apk/world)	pkg lock NAME	brew pin NAME (formulae only)	winget pin add --id NAME --blocking
Non-interactive install	DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y	dnf install -y	zypper --non-interactive install	apk add (no confirmation prompts)	pkg install -y	brew install (does not prompt; NONINTERACTIVE=1 applies to the Homebrew installer script)	winget install --silent --accept-package-agreements --accept-source-agreements

Why it matters

The gaps are as important as the commands. Neither Homebrew nor winget has a documented single command that maps an arbitrary file path back to the package that installed it. Holds are not uniform either: Alpine pins through a version constraint in the world file rather than a hold flag. AIX is not shown: installp manages LPP filesets with its own apply/commit/reject model, and open-source RPMs from the AIX Toolbox are handled by dnf.

How to apply

• apt needs DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive even with -y, because some maintainer scripts prompt via debconf regardless of -y.
• A plain winget pin add only excludes the package from winget upgrade --all; --blocking also refuses an explicit upgrade until winget pin remove. Verify with winget pin list.
• Verify a hold by confirming the version does not move after the next upgrade. The Linux and FreeBSD commands need root; Homebrew refuses to run as root; winget runs unelevated, but a machine-wide installer raises a UAC prompt that stalls an unattended run.

Pitfalls

• Assuming zypper remove behaves like apt remove: RPM deletes unmodified configuration files and saves modified ones as .rpmsave.
• pkg lock and apt-mark hold are flags on the installed package record and may not survive a remove-and-reinstall; re-check with pkg lock -l or apt-mark showhold. dnf versionlock and zypper addlock entries live in configuration files and persist.
• Treating brew list as a system inventory: it lists only Homebrew-managed formulae and casks.