Coming from Ubuntu or Debian¶

Welcome. If you've been on Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Pop!_OS, or any other apt-based distribution, almost everything you already know transfers. The kernel is Linux, the shell is bash (or zsh), the desktop is familiar, the files live where you expect them.

What changes is a small vocabulary. This page gives you the translation table, the gotchas, and the new habits — without pretending the move is harder than it is.

Time to read: about 10 minutes. Where to go after this: The Zypper Universe for the deeper picture.

The mental map¶

Concept	Ubuntu / Debian	AXEM-SX (openSUSE Leap)
Package format	`.deb`	`.rpm`
Package manager	`apt`, `apt-get`, `dpkg`	`zypper`, `rpm`
Package library underneath	`libapt`, `dpkg`	`libzypp`
Graphical installer	Synaptic, Software Center	YaST, Discover, Soft Depot
Snapshot tool	Timeshift (third-party)	Snapper (built-in, Btrfs-native)
Filesystem default	ext4	Btrfs for `/`, XFS for `/home`
Init system	systemd	systemd (identical)
Default firewall	`ufw`	`firewalld`
Default security framework	AppArmor	AppArmor (also SELinux available)
Repository community	PPAs (Launchpad)	OBS (openSUSE Build Service)
Third-party app store	Snap (default) + Flatpak	Flatpak (Snap is not used)

Nothing on this table should alarm you. Btrfs and Snapper, in particular, are an upgrade — they're the reason you can recover from a bad update in under two minutes. See Recovering from a Bad Update.

The command-line translation¶

You'll use most of these every week. Bookmark or print this table.

What you want	apt	zypper
Update package lists	`sudo apt update`	`sudo zypper refresh`
Install a package	`sudo apt install foo`	`sudo zypper install foo`
Remove a package	`sudo apt remove foo`	`sudo zypper remove foo`
Remove + clean orphans	`sudo apt autoremove foo`	`sudo zypper remove --clean-deps foo`
List orphan packages	`apt autoremove --dry-run`	`zypper packages --unneeded`
Upgrade installed packages	`sudo apt upgrade`	`sudo zypper update`
Full system upgrade	`sudo apt full-upgrade`	`sudo zypper dist-upgrade`
Search	`apt search foo`	`zypper search foo`
Show package info	`apt show foo`	`zypper info foo`
List installed packages	`apt list --installed`	`zypper search -i`
Show package origin	`apt policy foo`	`zypper info foo` (look at Repository)
Install build tools	`sudo apt install build-essential`	`sudo zypper install -t pattern devel_basis`
Add a third-party repo	`add-apt-repository ppa:...`	`sudo zypper addrepo URL alias`
List configured repos	`apt policy`	`zypper repos`

Two short habits to learn:

zypper remove --clean-deps is the closest thing to apt autoremove foo — it removes the package and any dependencies it brought in that nothing else uses. There is no single zypper autoremove command yet. See The Zypper Universe for why.
-t pattern is the zypper way to install meta-packages. Patterns are how openSUSE groups related software (development tools, KDE, GNOME, server roles…). They're more powerful than apt's meta-packages once you get used to them.

Package name differences¶

Most package names are identical or close. The pattern that catches people most often:

Debian / Ubuntu	openSUSE / AXEM-SX	Note
`libssl-dev`	`libopenssl-devel`	`-dev` becomes `-devel`
`python3-dev`	`python3-devel`	Same `-devel` rule
`build-essential`	`pattern:devel_basis`	Install with `-t pattern`
`apt-transport-https`	(built-in)	Not needed; zypper does HTTPS natively
`software-properties-common`	(built-in)	Repo management is in zypper
`ufw`	`firewalld`	Different firewall front-end
`chromium-browser`	`chromium`	Slightly shorter
`nodejs` + `npm`	`nodejs22` + `npm22`	Versioned names; choose your version
`docker.io`	`docker`	From the Containers module

When in doubt, search:

bash zypper search keyword zypper info package-name

zypper search looks at both names and descriptions, so a fuzzy guess usually works.

What replaces PPAs¶

On Ubuntu you'd add a PPA — a Launchpad-hosted personal repo — for software not in the main archive. On AXEM-SX, the equivalent is the openSUSE Build Service (OBS): a much larger build farm, more distros, the same purpose.

Two paths:

The graphical way — open software.opensuse.org, search, click "Show experimental packages" if needed, then "1 Click Install". YaST handles the rest.
The command line way — sudo zypper addrepo <URL> <alias>, then sudo zypper refresh, then install normally.

A practical example — adding the Packman repository for codecs:

bash sudo zypper addrepo -cfp 90 \ 'https://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/packman/suse/openSUSE_Leap_$releasever/' \ packman sudo zypper refresh

The $releasever variable is expanded by zypper to your installed openSUSE Leap version — leave it literal. Full walkthrough in Third-Party Repositories and Codecs & Multimedia.

What replaces Snap¶

Ubuntu ships with Snap pre-installed and uses it for several core applications. AXEM-SX does not use Snap. We use Flatpak exclusively for sandboxed third-party applications.

Flatpak is straightforward and shipped in the openSUSE Leap repositories:

bash sudo zypper install flatpak flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

After adding Flathub, log out and back in (or reboot) to pick up the new desktop integration paths. See Flatpak on AXEM.

If you have a .snap package you depended on, the same software is almost always available as a Flatpak on flathub.org — and it sandboxes more aggressively than Snap does.

The firewall, briefly¶

If you reached for ufw on Ubuntu, the equivalent on AXEM-SX is firewalld. It's been the openSUSE default since Leap 15.0 and is already running by default.

Three commands cover most situations:

```bash

Check status¶

sudo firewall-cmd --state

See active zones and what's open¶

sudo firewall-cmd --list-all

Open a port (e.g. for a development server)¶

sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8080/tcp --permanent sudo firewall-cmd --reload ```

YaST has a graphical front-end too — search for "Firewall" in the Application Launcher. The full reference is the openSUSE Firewalld page.

Snapshots — the new safety net¶

This is the biggest gain coming from Ubuntu. AXEM-SX uses Btrfs on the root filesystem, with Snapper taking automatic snapshots before and after every zypper operation.

In practice this means:

A bad update can be rolled back from the GRUB boot menu in one reboot.
You can browse old configurations as a regular filesystem under /.snapshots/.
You can compare any two snapshots with snapper diff.

You don't have to install Timeshift. You don't have to remember to take snapshots. They happen quietly. See Snapshots & Recovery for the full story.

A few habits to drop, a few to pick up¶

Drop:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade → use sudo zypper refresh && sudo zypper update.
add-apt-repository → use sudo zypper addrepo.
apt-get install build-essential → use sudo zypper install -t pattern devel_basis.
Reaching for Timeshift after a bad update → reach for the GRUB menu and pick a snapshot.

Pick up:

Reading what zypper prints. It will tell you about vendor changes, recommended packages, and conflicts. Each prompt has a reason.
Using zypper info before installing — it shows the repository, vendor, and full description. Worth the half-second.
Trusting Snapper. The first time you roll back from a botched update, you'll wonder why every distribution doesn't do this.

The motor stays. The dress changes. Your muscle memory is mostly still good — just learn a few new verbs, and zypper will start to feel like home.