If you’re an Arch Linux user looking to find an easy way to manage AppImage, Flatpak, Snap package, and AUR apps all in one place, Bauh is an excellent option. It provides an easy-to-use GUI interface for installing and managing all of these formats. In this guide, we’ll show you how to use it.
Before we begin
In this guide, we focus on Arch Linux. However, if you are a Manjaro Linux user, you should know that this tutorial will work for you as well. Manjaro is built upon the same technology as Arch Linux, and all of the instructions will work.
However, keep in mind that Manjaro is a different operating system from Arch Linux. If you run into issues, you will need to consult with Manjaro specific documentation and not Arch.
Bauh on Arch Linux
Bauh is an excellent GUI app that can make managing many different app formats on Arch Linux very easy. However, it isn’t in the Arch Linux repos by default, so the program’s installation isn’t simple or straightforward.
Install Bauh
The app is in the AUR. To install Bauh from the AUR, you will need to get going with an AUR helper. In this tutorial, we’ll focus on Trizen, as it is easy to use, fast, and has lots of great features.
To get going with the Trizen AUR helper, start by installing the “Git” and “Base-devel” packages. Git will allow you to pull the Trizen package build, and Base-devel includes essential software building components you’ll need.
Using pacman, install the two packages on your system.
sudo pacman -S git base-devel
With the two packages set up on your Linux PC, it is time to download the Trizen package build. Using the git clone command, download it to your Arch Linux PC.
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/trizen.git
After downloading the Trizen package build to your Linux PC, you will need to enter the directory. Using the CD command, move the terminal session into the “trizen” folder.
cd trizen
From here, the installation of Trizen can begin. Using the makepkg command, compile and install the program. This build should be fast, but you may experience slowdowns if you have a weak CPU and low RAM.
makepkg -sri
Following the installation of the Trizen AUR helper, we can install the Bauh app with ease. Using the trizen -S command, download, compile, and install the Bauh app on your Linux system. Again, the build may take a bit if you have a PC with slow hardware.
trizen -S bauh
Want the “staging” version of the app instead? Try this command instead.
trizen -S bauh-staging
Enable Flatpack, Snap, AppImages, AUR In Bauh
Installing the Bauh app gives you access to it, but sadly, that isn’t enough. You need to set up its various features. For example, if you want to manage your Flatpak apps in Bauh, you will need to set up Flatpak on Arch, etc.
In this section, we’ll go over how to set up these features so you can use them with Bauh on Arch Linux.
Flatpak
To use Flatpak with Bauh, you must have the Flatpak runtime configured on your Linux PC. To set up the Flatpak runtime on Arch Linux, open up a terminal window and use the pacman command below.
sudo pacman -S flatpak
After setting up the package on your system, subscribe to the Flathub app store using the flatpak remote-add command below.
AppImage should work out of the box with Bauh, and there is no need to configure anything. For more information on AppImage support with the app, check GitHub.
AUR
AUR support in Bauh is enabled by default. So long as you have the “base-devel” package installed, there’s no need to do anything else.
Using Bauh
To use Bauh on your Arch Linux system, open up the app by searching for “Bauh” in the app menu. Once it is open, follow the instructions below to learn how to use it.
Installing apps with Bauh
To install an app with Bauh, do the following. First, find “Type” and set it to the type of app you are looking to install. Then, find “Category” and change it to the category of the app you want.
After setting both “Type” and “Category,” apps should start to appear. Scroll through, and look for a program to install. Then, click on the “Install” button.
Enter your password to install the app.
Can’t find the app you want using the “Type” and “Category” features? Type in the name of the program you wish to install using the search bar at the top.
Uninstalling apps
Need to uninstall an app from your system with Bauh? Click on the search box at the top. Click on it with the mouse and search for what you wish to uninstall. Then, select the “uninstall” button to remove it.
