Please ensure you understand the purpose of each script before running it, as some scripts may alter system settings or delete files. Always run with appropriate permissions, especially for scripts requiring sudo access.

Clean Package Cache

Debian stores downloaded packages in /var/cache/apt/archives. Over time, this cache can consume significant disk space.

List Cached Packages

ls /var/cache/apt/archives/ | less

Remove Unused Packages from Cache

To remove old, unused packages:

sudo apt-get clean

This will remove all .deb files in the package cache.

If you’d like to keep only the most recent versions of packages and remove older versions:

sudo apt-get autoclean

Automatically Remove Unused Packages

Debian allows you to automatically remove packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer needed. First, install deborphan to find orphaned packages:

sudo apt-get install deborphan

List orphaned packages:

deborphan

Remove orphaned packages:

sudo apt-get remove --purge $(deborphan)

You can also use apt-get autoremove to remove unneeded packages:

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge

To automatically remove packages that were installed as dependencies but are no longer required, you can configure apt to automatically run autoremove at intervals using systemd timers.

Systemd Timer for Auto Cleanup

Create a systemd timer to clean up unused packages monthly. Create the following file at /etc/systemd/system/apt-autoremove.timer:

[Unit]
Description=Automatically remove unused packages

[Timer]
OnCalendar=monthly
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then enable and start the timer:

sudo systemctl enable apt-autoremove.timer
sudo systemctl start apt-autoremove.timer

Remove Unused Dependencies

Sometimes, even after running apt-get autoremove, there may be additional unused dependencies. You can run the following to remove them:

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge

You can also use deborphan to find packages that are no longer required.

Clean User Cache

Debian-based systems store user-specific cache in ~/.cache. This cache includes browser history, temporary files, and other cached data.

List Cache

ls ~/.cache

Remove Cache

You can delete cache files manually or use the following command to remove all cache:

rm -rf ~/.cache/*

Be cautious, as some applications may require cache files to function properly.

Clean Configuration Files

Many programs leave behind configuration files in the ~/.config/ directory, even after they have been uninstalled.

List Configuration Files

ls ~/.config/

Remove Old Configuration Files

If you’ve uninstalled software but their config files remain, you can manually delete them:

rm -rf ~/.config/<application-name>

Find and Remove Duplicate Files

You can install fdupes, a command-line tool that identifies duplicate files:

Install fdupes

sudo apt-get install fdupes

Find Duplicate Files

fdupes -r /path/to/directory

Remove Duplicate Files

fdupes -dN /path/to/directory

This will interactively delete duplicate files (be sure to review before deleting).

Remove Old Kernels

If you have multiple kernels installed, you may want to remove older, unused ones.

List Installed Kernels

dpkg --list | grep linux-image

Remove Old Kernels

You can remove old kernels using apt-get. For example:

sudo apt-get remove --purge linux-image-<version>

Make sure not to remove the kernel you’re currently running. Check your active kernel with:

uname -r

Remove Unnecessary Logs

Debian stores logs in /var/log/. Over time, these logs can become large.

Clean Old Log Files

You can manually remove old logs in /var/log:

sudo rm -f /var/log/*.gz /var/log/*.1 /var/log/*.old

Alternatively, use logrotate to manage logs and automatically remove old logs based on your system’s configuration.