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chocolatey

chocolatey/choco

Chocolatey is a command-line package manager for Windows that installs, updates and removes software from the terminal.

Open-source alternative to:Microsoft Store

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What is it?

Chocolatey, invoked as choco, brings apt-get or yum style package management to Windows. You install software by name with a single command, and it handles downloading and installing the package, so you do not have to hunt for installers on vendor websites.

The client is written in C# and runs on Windows, with supported OS versions ranging from Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 10 onward. It requires .NET Framework 4.8 and PowerShell 2.0 or newer. The community package repository at community.chocolatey.org hosts the packages, and a commercial edition, Chocolatey Pro, adds features such as a private CDN download cache and virus scan protection.

The project also documents how to build the client from source using Visual Studio or a Mono-based setup on Linux and macOS, and it includes unit, integration and end-to-end test suites.

Key features

  • 01Install, upgrade and uninstall Windows software from the command line with a single command.
  • 02Supports tab completion and refreshenv for updating environment variables without restarting the shell.
  • 03Provides a community package repository of software packages.
  • 04Offers help output for every command via the --help switch.
  • 05Logs each run to a file in the Chocolatey install directory for troubleshooting.

Use cases

  • Setting up a new Windows development machine with a scripted list of tools.
  • Keeping several installed applications up to date from one terminal.
  • Automating software installation on Windows servers or in build pipelines.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Run the official install script from the README

  2. 2

    Check available commands and options

    choco.exe --help

Things to know

  • The client targets Windows only, requiring Windows 10+ or Windows Server 2008 R2+.
  • Some features such as the private CDN cache and virus scan protection require the paid Chocolatey Pro edition.

Topics

#package-manager#windows#command-line#powershell#csharp#software-management#c-sharp#chocolatey#hacktoberfest#package-management

FAQ

What is choco?
Chocolatey is a command-line package manager for Windows that installs, updates and removes software from the terminal. Chocolatey, invoked as choco, brings apt-get or yum style package management to Windows. You install software by name with a single command, and it handles downloading and installing the package, so you do not have to hunt for installers on vendor websites.
Is choco free to use? What license does it have?
choco is open source under the Other license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is choco still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to choco was on Oct 28, 2026.
What can I use choco for?
Setting up a new Windows development machine with a scripted list of tools. Keeping several installed applications up to date from one terminal. Automating software installation on Windows servers or in build pipelines.
How do I install choco?
Run the official install script from the README Check available commands and options: choco.exe --help
Where can I get choco?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/chocolatey/choco

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