World set (Portage)

The world file, by default located in, contains the set of package atoms that the user has explicitly asked to have installed.

It is the world file, together with the profile and (including ) settings, that defines which software is installed on the system. Whenever a user triggers a software installation (through emerge ) the software's package category and name are registered in the world file. Later, when a world update is requested (through emerge -uDN @world or similar), Portage will use this file as the base for its update calculations.

If you want to add a package to the world set without recompiling, use:

If you want to install a package without adding it to the world set, use: