How to Use the Arch Linux User Repository

Hey everyone! Today, I want to show you how to use the AUR (Arch User Repository). This is hands down one of the best things about Arch Linux, and honestly, if you're going to use this distro, knowing how to use the AUR is practically a requirement.

Basically, it's a repository maintained by the community. If you can't find a package in the official repositories using Pacman, there is almost certainly someone who has created an entry for it in the AUR.

👉 Official AUR website: https://aur.archlinux.org

There are two ways to install packages from the AUR:

1. The manual way, which I'll show you first.
2. Using tools called AUR helpers, which automate much of the process.

I want to teach you the manual method first because it's really cool—and important—to understand how everything works under the hood.

Prerequisites

Before we start, the first thing you need to do is install two specific packages: git and base-devel. You probably already installed these while setting up Arch.

sudo pacman -S git base-devel

These packages provide all the tools required to build and install software from the AUR.

I also recommend creating a dedicated directory to keep things organized. This is where you'll clone AUR packages if you plan to build them manually. I already had one set up for cloning GitHub projects, so I'll reuse that.

Method 1: The Manual Way

For today's example, I'm going to use Brave Browser. (I personally use LibreWolf, but Brave is a solid browser as well.)

Step 1: Finding the Package

First, head over to the AUR website and search for the package you want.

Before you download anything:

1. Check that the package is not flagged as "Out of Date."
2. Read the comments. This is extremely important. If users are having issues, the solution is often documented there or in pinned messages.

Step 2: Cloning the Repository

Once you've chosen the package, copy the Git Clone URL from the AUR page.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/brave-bin.git

Now, navigate into the newly created directory.

Step 3: The PKGBUILD (Read This!)

Inside the folder, you'll always find a file called PKGBUILD. This file contains all the instructions required to download, build, and install the package.

Most people never open this file, but if you want to be a responsible user, you absolutely should.

Here's what a real PKGBUILD looks like (example from brave-bin):

# Maintainer: brave <aur-release@brave.com>
# Contributor: Caleb Maclennan <caleb@alerque.com>
# Contributor: José Miguel Sarasola <jmsaraur@gmail.com>
# Contributor: Như Bảo Trương <28810481+nhubaotruong@users.noreply.github.com>
# Contributor: Andrés Rodríguez <hello@andres.codes>
# Contributor: Jacob Mischka <jacob@mischka.me>
# Contributor: Manuel Mazzuola <origin.of@gmail.com>
# Contributor: Simón Oroño <simonorono@protonmail.com>
# Contributor: now-im <now im 627 @ gmail . com>
# Contributor: Giusy Digital <kurmikon at libero dot it>

pkgname=brave-bin
pkgver=1.85.116
pkgrel=1
epoch=1
pkgdesc='Web browser that blocks ads and trackers by default (binary release)'
arch=(x86_64 aarch64)
url=https://brave.com
license=(MPL2 BSD custom:chromium)
depends=(alsa-lib gtk3 libxss nss ttf-font)
optdepends=(
	'cups: Printer support'
	'libgnome-keyring: Enable GNOME keyring support'
	'libnotify: Native notification support'
)
provides=("${pkgname%-bin}=$pkgver" 'brave-browser')
conflicts=("${pkgname%-bin}")
options=(!strip)

As you can see, it's essentially a shell script. Here's what you should look for:

• Conflicts: Make sure it doesn't clash with packages you already have installed.
• Dependencies: Sometimes a package pulls in far more dependencies than you might expect.
• Commands: Scroll to the bottom and inspect the commands being executed.

⚠️ It wouldn't be the first time malware appeared in the AUR. There was a real incident not too long ago: https://lists.archlinux.org/archives/list/aur-general@lists.archlinux.org/thread/7EZTJXLIAQLARQNTMEW2HBWZYE626IFJ/

Remember: the AUR is a community-maintained repository, not an official one. Problems are rare, but always verify what you're running.

Optional: Optimize Compilation Speed

If you're compiling software from source, you should edit /etc/makepkg.conf and look for MAKEFLAGS.

The -j flag controls how many threads are used during compilation. I recommend setting it to the number of threads your CPU has—but be aware that this will push your CPU to 100% usage while compiling.

#-- Make Flags: change this for DistCC/SMP systems
MAKEFLAGS="-j16"

Step 4: Build and Install

After reviewing the PKGBUILD, run this command inside the package directory:

makepkg

Once it finishes, you'll see a file ending in .pkg.tar.zst.

• .pkg → Package
• .tar → Archive
• .zst → Compressed using Zstandard

Install it using Pacman:

sudo pacman -U brave-bin-*-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

And that's it—Brave is installed.

The Shortcut

You can combine building and installing into a single command:

makepkg -sri

• -s → Install missing dependencies
• -i → Install the package after building
• -r → Remove build-time dependencies afterward

Updating and Removing

• To update: Enter the package directory, run git pull, then rerun makepkg.

• To remove: Use Pacman as usual, for example:

  sudo pacman -Rns brave-bin
  

Method 2: AUR Helpers (The Easy Way)

Now let's talk about automation. The two most popular AUR helpers are:

• Yay (written in Go) https://github.com/Jguer/yay
• Paru (written in Rust) https://github.com/Morganamilo/paru

I've always used Yay, so that's what I'll demonstrate here—but Paru should be good as well.

Using Yay

Once installed, Yay works almost exactly like Pacman. For example, to install Zen Browser:

yay -S zen-browser-bin

During installation, Yay will prompt you with a few questions:

1. Clean build? Yay caches build files in $XDG_CACHE_HOME/yay or $HOME/.cache/yay. A clean build removes cached files before rebuilding. I usually choose None (the default).
2. Show diffs? Always choose "All." This lets you inspect the PKGBUILD!

Updating with Yay

One of Yay's biggest advantages is that it acts as a wrapper around Pacman:

yay -Syu

This updates official Arch packages and AUR packages in a single command. Pacman doesn't touch AUR packages during a system update, so Yay is super convenient for this.

One Last Tip: DuckDuckGo Bangs

If you use DuckDuckGo, here's a great trick. DuckDuckGo supports bangs—short search shortcuts.

Typing:

!aur package_name

For example:

!aur paru

Will take you directly to the package's AUR page.

👉 DuckDuckGo Bangs documentation: https://duckduckgo.com/bangs

And that's how you use the AUR. Now you can truly make the most of your Arch Linux installation.

Thanks for reading!