Speed Up apt-get Downloads on Ubuntu and Debian with apt-fast

Updated in 2026 with extra notes for Ubuntu, Debian, home servers and homelabs.

apt-get is reliable, but package downloads can feel slow on some Ubuntu and Debian systems.

If you run a Linux laptop, VPS, old workstation or home server, you have probably typed this many times:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

The update process itself is not always the slow part. Very often, the slow part is downloading packages during installs and upgrades, especially when there are many packages or when your mirror is not very fast.

One simple way to improve that download step is apt-fast.

apt-fast is a shell script wrapper for apt-get and aptitude. It can speed up package downloads by using parallel downloads and multiple connections per package.

This does not make every part of APT faster. It does not speed up package unpacking, dependency solving or post-install scripts. But when the bottleneck is downloading packages, apt-fast can help.

apt-fast is useful when downloads are slow. It is not magic, and it will not fix a broken mirror, slow disk or bad network.

What apt-fast actually does

Normally, apt-get downloads packages in a straightforward way. That is stable and simple, but it may not always use your available bandwidth efficiently.

apt-fast works as a wrapper around apt-get or aptitude. Instead of changing how packages are installed, it changes how packages are downloaded.

In simple terms:

• apt-get handles package management;
• apt-fast helps speed up the download part;
• tools like aria2 can download package files using multiple connections.

This can be useful on:

• Ubuntu desktops;
• Debian systems;
• Linux Mint machines;
• old laptops;
• home servers;
• VPS machines;
• homelab boxes that are not updated every day.

It is especially noticeable when you are downloading many packages or large updates.

apt-fast installation output on Ubuntu showing package setup in the terminal

On Ubuntu, the usual installation method is the apt-fast PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:apt-fast/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install apt-fast

During installation, apt-fast may ask which package manager to use and how many parallel connections to allow. For a normal desktop or home server, the defaults are usually fine.

Check that it installed:

apt-fast --version

Or simply run:

apt-fast

Install apt-fast on Debian

On Debian, the installation method can vary depending on your version and repositories.

The apt-fast project provides instructions on its GitHub page, so check the official project if your distribution does not include it directly:

apt-fast on GitHub

Before adding external repositories, always think about whether you trust the source. This is especially important on servers.

Using apt-fast

Once installed, use apt-fast almost like apt-get.

Update package lists:

sudo apt-fast update

Upgrade packages:

sudo apt-fast upgrade

Install a package:

sudo apt-fast install package-name

Example:

sudo apt-fast install docker.io

Remove a package:

sudo apt-fast remove package-name

Search still normally uses apt-cache or apt search:

apt search package-name

The biggest difference is usually visible when downloading many packages or large packages.

Example: normal apt-get vs apt-fast

A normal package upgrade might look like this:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

With apt-fast, it becomes:

sudo apt-fast update
sudo apt-fast upgrade

Or for installing packages:

sudo apt-fast install htop curl git golang

The package installation process is still handled by the normal APT tools. apt-fast mainly improves the download stage.

When apt-fast actually helps

apt-fast is most useful when the download step is the bottleneck.

Good cases:

• slow package downloads;
• large upgrades;
• many packages to install;
• fast internet but slow single download streams;
• home servers or old laptops that are updated occasionally;
• fresh Linux installs where many packages are being installed at once.

It helps less when the slow part is:

• package unpacking;
• CPU-heavy post-install scripts;
• slow storage;
• bad Wi-Fi;
• an overloaded package mirror;
• dependency resolution;
• waiting for services to restart after upgrades.

So apt-fast is useful, but it is not magic. It mainly improves package download parallelism.

Basic apt-fast configuration

The apt-fast configuration file is usually here:

/etc/apt-fast.conf

Open it with:

sudo nano /etc/apt-fast.conf

Useful settings include the maximum number of connections and split connections. The official apt-fast documentation lists options such as maximum connections, maximum connections per server and maximum connections per file.

_MAXNUM=5
_MAXCONPERSRV=10
_SPLITCON=8

Do not set these values insanely high. More connections do not always mean better speed. They can annoy mirrors, overload weak connections, or make downloads less stable.

For a normal home connection, start with the defaults or modest values and test from there.

Choosing a good mirror matters too

If your Ubuntu or Debian mirror is slow, apt-fast can help a bit, but choosing a better mirror may help even more.

On Ubuntu desktop, you can change mirrors using the Software & Updates tool.

On servers, check your APT source files:

cat /etc/apt/sources.list
ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

If you are using an old, distant or unreliable mirror, package downloads may be slow no matter what tool you use.

For a home server, I prefer a stable official mirror over a random mirror that is fast one day and broken the next.

Using apt-fast on a Linux home server

On a Linux home server, faster updates are useful, but reliable updates are more important.

Before doing large upgrades on a server, I usually check:

uptime
df -h
sudo apt-get update
apt list --upgradable

Then I upgrade intentionally:

sudo apt-fast upgrade

After updates, check whether a reboot is required:

[ -f /var/run/reboot-required ] && cat /var/run/reboot-required

And check important services:

systemctl --failed
sudo systemctl status ssh
docker ps

This matters if the server runs Docker, Samba, backups, monitoring, reverse proxies or anything other people use.

A few cautions

apt-fast is convenient, but keep these points in mind:

• Use trusted repositories only.
• Do not add random PPAs blindly.
• Do not abuse public mirrors with excessive parallel connections.
• Keep your system backups in mind before major upgrades.
• On servers, update intentionally and check services after upgrades.
• Remember that faster downloads do not mean safer upgrades.

For a Linux home server, faster updates are nice, but reliable updates matter more. If the machine runs Docker, file sharing, monitoring or backups, make sure you understand what is being upgraded before rebooting or restarting services.

Does apt-fast replace apt-get?

No. apt-fast is a wrapper around existing APT tools. It does not replace the package manager itself.

You can still use:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt install package-name

And you can use apt-fast when you want faster package downloads:

sudo apt-fast install package-name
sudo apt-fast upgrade

If apt-fast causes issues, you can simply go back to normal APT commands.

Troubleshooting apt-fast

If apt-fast does not work as expected, start simple.

Check that it is installed:

which apt-fast
apt-fast --version

Check the configuration:

cat /etc/apt-fast.conf

Check whether normal apt-get works:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

If normal apt-get is also slow or failing, the problem may be your mirror, DNS, network connection or package repositories rather than apt-fast itself.

If package downloads fail repeatedly, reduce the number of parallel connections and try again.

Related Linux home server maintenance posts

• Linux Home Server Security Checklist
• Lynis Hardening Checklist: What to Fix First
• Backing Up Docker Containers on a Home Server
• UFW Firewall Rules for Home Servers

Final thoughts

apt-fast is a simple tool, but it can make package downloads feel much faster on Ubuntu and Debian systems when the download step is the slow part.

For desktops, old laptops and Linux home servers, it is a useful tweak. Just remember that it speeds up downloads, not every part of package management.

Use it with sensible connection limits, trusted repositories and normal update discipline.

That is the important part: make updates faster, but do not make them reckless.