How to Install Fastfetch on Debian 12 BookWorm Linux

Fastfetch is an open-source tool for Linux that quickly fetches system details, similar to Neofetch. It is a fast system information tool with improved performance; therefore, if you are using Debian 12 (bookworm) and are interested in installing Fastfetch, this tutorial will help you.

What is Fastfetch?

Let’s briefly understand what Fastfetch does. Fastfetch is a command-line tool that fetches and displays system information, including your operating system, kernel version, CPU, GPU, memory usage, and more. It’s written in C, making it significantly faster than alternatives like Neofetch, while offering extensive customization options.

Prerequisites

To install Fastfetch on Debian 12, you’ll need:

• A Debian 12 (Bookworm) system with internet access
• Administrative (sudo) privileges
• Basic familiarity with the terminal

Method 1: Installing the Latest Version from GitHub

If you are a Debian 13 user, you can use the default system repository and APT package manager to install Fastfetch. But, the Debian 12 system repository doesn’t offer a package to get Fastfetch. Therefore, here we will download it from its GitHub Release page.

This way, we also get the absolute latest version of Fastfetch with all the newest features, so start by installing the required dependencies. On your terminal, execute the given commands.

sudo apt install wget

Navigate to the temporary directory:

cd /tmp

Download the latest .deb package of Fastfetch from GitHub.

wget https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch/releases/latest/download/fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb

Once it is on your system, use the DPKG command line to install the downloaded package:

sudo dpkg -i fastfetch-linux-amd64.deb

(optional) In case you encounter any dependency issues, fix them with:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

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Method 2: Building from Source

For users who prefer to compile software from source or need specific compilation options, here’s how to build Fastfetch manually:

First, install the build dependencies:

sudo apt install build-essential cmake git pkg-config

Install the runtime dependencies:

sudo apt install libpci-dev libvulkan-dev libwayland-dev libxcb1-dev libxrandr-dev libdconf-dev libdbus-1-dev

Clone the Fastfetch repository:

git clone https://github.com/fastfetch-cli/fastfetch.git
cd fastfetch

Create a build directory and compile:

mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)

Install the compiled binary:

sudo make install

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Using Fastfetch on Debian Bookworm 12

Once installed, using Fastfetch is straightforward on Debian 12; we simply need to type its name in the command terminal, and the system information will be displayed as output on our system very quickly.

fastfetch

This displays your system information with the default configuration. Fastfetch offers numerous options to customize the output:

• fastfetch --list-logos – View all available logos
• fastfetch --logo debian – Use a specific logo
• fastfetch --config none – Run without any configuration file
• fastfetch --help – Display all available options

Customizing Fastfetch

Fastfetch stores its configuration in ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc. You can create custom configurations to personalize how your system information is displayed.

To generate a default configuration file, use the command that will create a configuration file.

fastfetch --gen-config

Once that happens, you can edit it with your preferred text editor:

nano ~/.config/fastfetch/config.jsonc

Uninstalling Fastfetch

Perhaps you want to be with Neofetch, in which case, you can use the given command to remove Fastfetch.

sudo apt remove fastfetch

For source installation:

cd /path/to/fastfetch/build
sudo make uninstall

Conclusion

Installing Fastfetch on Debian 12 is an easy-to-understand process, whether you opt for the GitHub method for convenience or build from source for the latest features. This lightweight system information tool provides a fast and customizable way to display your system details. With its extensive configuration options, you can tailor Fastfetch to show exactly the information you want in the style you prefer.