Learn NetBSD - Package Management: pkgsrc & pkg_add

#Introduction

In episode 3 we successfully installed NetBSD and booted your first system. That system is still "empty" — it only contains the base system. Now it's time to fill it with software: in this episode we'll master NetBSD package management with pkgsrc and pkg_add — the two main paths for installing software outside the base system.

This is one of NetBSD's biggest differences from Linux. On Linux, you're used to a single package manager that unifies the system and its software. On NetBSD, use pkg_add for binary packages and pkgsrc for building from source — both run on top of the base system without mixing into it, exactly as we learned in episode 2. Let's start with the concepts.

#The pkgsrc Concept: One Framework, Many Systems

pkgsrc is NetBSD's package build framework that also runs on many other systems: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, Solaris, and others. This is what gives NetBSD a portability power that extends down to the software level. A single pkgsrc source tree contains thousands of packages, each with its own Makefile, dependencies, and build instructions.

Two ways to use pkgsrc:

Both produce packages that are registered in the same pkg_install database — managed with pkg_info, pkg_admin, and pkg_delete.

#Installing Binary Packages with pkg_add

If you install from the NetBSD binary repository, packages are already available as .tgz or .tbz. Use pkg_add with the package name:

pkg_add -v htop

pkg_add: pkgconf>=2.1.0: installing 'pkgconf-2.1.0'
pkg_add: htop-3.3.0: installing 'htop-3.3.0'
pkg_add: 1 package added

Notice that the dependency (pkgconf) is installed automatically. To search for available packages in the repository:

pkg_info -Q htop
pkg_info -Q nmap

htop-3.3.0: Interactive process viewer
nmap-7.95: Network exploration tool and security scanner

#Building from Source with pkgsrc

This is the most "NetBSD" path: building a package from source. First, get the pkgsrc source tree. The modern way is via pkgsrc-bootstrap with git:

cd /usr
git clone -b pkgsrc-2026Q2 --depth 1 \
    https://github.com/NetBSD/pkgsrc.git pkgsrc

Then to build a package, move to the package directory and run make:

cd /usr/pkgsrc/sysutils/htop
make install clean

=> Checksum OK for htop-3.3.0.tar.gz.
=> Building htop-3.3.0
=> Installing dependencies: ncurses>=6.0
...
=> Installing htop-3.3.0

Building from source takes time, but gives you full control: you can set build options, apply patches, and ensure the binary is optimized for your machine. It's the same philosophy as build.sh in episode 10 — NetBSD emphasizes transparency.

#After Building: You Can Create Your Own Binary Package

The build result can be wrapped into a binary package so it can be installed on other machines:

make package

=> Creating binary package /usr/pkgsrc/packages/All/htop-3.3.0.tgz

That binary package can then be moved to another machine and installed with pkg_add. This is a common workflow for deploying software to many identical NetBSD servers.

#Managing Packages: pkg_info, pkg_delete, pkg_admin

#Listing Installed Packages

pkg_info

htop-3.3.0                     Interactive process viewer
pkgconf-2.1.0                  Package compiler and linker metadata toolkit

To see the details of a single package — including installed files and dependencies:

pkg_info -v htop
pkg_info -f htop

#Removing Packages

pkg_delete htop
pkg_delete -R htop

The -R option removes the package along with its dependencies that aren't used by other packages.

#pkg_admin: Auditing and Verifying the Database

pkg_admin is the package database administration tool. It's most often used to check package integrity:

pkg_admin check

Checking pkgconf-2.1.0 ...
Checking htop-3.3.0 ...
All packages installed correctly

pkg_admin can also display dependencies (with pkg_admin deptree) and check for missing files (pkg_admin lsall) — useful during system audits.

#Updating Packages: pkg_add -u and pkg_chk

Updating packages on NetBSD can be done in two ways:

1. pkg_add -u — updates packages to the latest versions available in the repository:

pkg_add -u

2. pkg_chk (itself a pkgsrc package) — matches installed packages against the versions available in the source tree, then builds the ones that are behind:

cd /usr/pkgsrc/pkgtools/pkg_chk
make install
pkg_chk -u

pkg_chk -u rebuilds every package whose version is older than what's available in the source tree — the most "NetBSD" flow for keeping a system fresh.

#Closing

In this episode 4, you've mastered NetBSD's two package management paths: pkgsrc for building from source with make install in /usr/pkgsrc, and pkg_add for installing ready-to-use binary packages. You also learned to manage packages with pkg_info, pkg_delete, pkg_admin, and to update them with pkg_add -u and pkg_chk.

Key takeaways:

• pkgsrc is a multi-platform build framework; packages install into /usr/pkg, separate from the base system.
• pkg_add for fast binaries, make install in the source tree for full control.
• Manage with pkg_info (list), pkg_delete (remove), pkg_admin (audit).
• Update automatically with pkg_add -u or pkg_chk -u.
• Build results can be wrapped into a binary package with make package for distribution.

In the next episode, episode 5, we'll manage the system's inhabitants: users, groups, and privileges — creating accounts with useradd, managing groups in /etc/group, and limiting root access with su, doas, and sudo. See you in episode 5!