All I wanted is to install the current yt-dlp (2024.07.16-1) on debian 12.6.
Suggested way to that according to https://packages.debian.org/sid/all/yt-dlp/download is to add that line to that file (etc/apt/sources.list), but do I really need to download the 1600 files that upgrade would entail?
I don’t want to download the tar.gz 'cause upgrading that would be a pain.
pipx install yt-dlp
This will install yt-dlp with everything it needs but without fucking anything else up, both system-wise and for your user (because installing python packages in your home manually can cause problems). You must have your $HOME/.local/bin in to then be able to run yt-dlp, but I think pipx will check and warn you.
pipx upgrade yt-dlp to update it (or upgrade-all)
That’s what I do, except I straight up create the python venv in a folder, activate it and then do pip install yt-dlp. No messing up with my system.
pipx does that without this manual process - it’s meant for these standalone apps that are in your .
I would advise just creating ~/.bin or ~/.local/share/bin and dropping it in there. As long as you have permission to that directory, yt-dlp should be able to easily update itself.
this is the way. easy. no install. no extra steps. update when you want.
or you can add the ppa that’s listed in the yt-dlp install instructions (scroll down to third-party package managers > apt) and use apt to install it like any other package.
In best scenario you’ll turn your Debian to SID. Worst case scenario you’ll break your system.
I do not suggest this operation unless you’re sure what you’re doing.
Alternatively you can install yt-dlp using snap or using Nix Package manager
The latest yt-dlp is in bookworm-backports.
Debian sid is their unstable branch; it contains all new packages before they are tested. As such, if you try to install updates from it, you’ll likely get a very unstable system.
You can set it up so that you only get a specific package ( https://wiki.debian.org/DebianUnstable#Can_I_use_Sid_packages_on_.22testing.22.3F ), but honestly, if you need the very latest version, I’d recommend just grabbing it from github or wherever. Iirc, yt-dlp has a -U flag which will automatically update it.
