A package management system is a collection of tools to automate the process of installing, upgrading, configuring, and removing software packages from a computer. The term is most commonly used with regards to Unix-like systems, particularly Linux, as these systems rely heavily on it, with thousands of discrete packages on a typical installation being common.
In such a system, software is distributed in packages, usually encapsulated into a single file. As well as the software itself, packages often include other important information, such as the full name, a description of its purpose, the version number, vendor of the software, checksum information, and a list of other packages, known as dependencies, that are required for the software to run properly. This meta-information is typically entered into a local package database.
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