03 / FIELD NOTES

Let nala rank apt mirrors

Interactive nala command that ranks apt mirrors before you confirm a change.

Why this way

Prefer an interactive rank over a silent mirror rewrite. You see the numbers before apt sources change. Third-party “one-click mirror” scripts stay optional and off by default on this site.

When to use

nala is installed and apt mirrors are slow. The command is interactive.

When not to

Do not run this unattended. It waits for a mirror choice.

Prerequisites

nala is installed
root or sudo for apt sources

Steps

Rank mirrors and pick one

Changes config

nala fetch

Expect: A ranked list appears. Sources change only after you confirm.

What it changes

Rewrites apt sources to a mirror you confirm in the list. It does not change sources until you pick one.

Stop cloud-init from rewriting resolv.conf

{
  "slug": "nala-fetch",
  "risk": "caution",
  "tags": [
    "nala",
    "apt",
    "mirror"
  ],
  "updated": "2026-10-28",
  "pathIndex": null,
  "why": "Prefer an interactive rank over a silent mirror rewrite. You see the numbers before apt sources change. Third-party “one-click mirror” scripts stay optional and off by default on this site.",
  "steps": [
    {
      "command": "nala fetch",
      "risk": "caution"
    }
  ]
}