Unable to install additional packages in the Docker image due to addition of backports repository

[LordAro]

Checklist

• I confirm there are no unresolved issues reported on the Chocolatey Status page.
• I have verified this is the correct repository for opening this issue.
• I have verified no other issues exist related to my problem.
• I have verified this is not an issue for a specific package.
• I have verified this issue is not security related.
• I confirm I am using official, and not unofficial, or modified, Chocolatey products.

What You Are Seeing?

I'm trying to use the docker image - chocolatey/choco:latest-linux, though I think any current (linux) tag matches

Because buster is now so old, apt no longer works:

$ apt -y update
WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.
Get:1 https://download.mono-project.com/repo/debian stable-buster/snapshots/6.12.0.182 InRelease [5888 B]
Ign:2 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster InRelease
Ign:3 http://deb.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates InRelease
Ign:4 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates InRelease
Err:5 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 199.232.58.132 80]
Err:6 http://deb.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 199.232.58.132 80]
Err:7 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates Release
  404  Not Found [IP: 199.232.58.132 80]
Get:8 https://download.mono-project.com/repo/debian stable-buster/snapshots/6.12.0.182/main amd64 Packages [48.8 kB]
Reading package lists...
E: The repository 'http://deb.debian.org/debian buster Release' does not have a Release file.
E: The repository 'http://deb.debian.org/debian-security buster/updates Release' does not have a Release file.
E: The repository 'http://deb.debian.org/debian buster-updates Release' does not have a Release file.
W: Conflicting distribution: https://download.mono-project.com/repo/debian stable-buster/snapshots/6.12.0.182 InRelease (expected stable-buster/snapshots/6.12.0.182 but got buster)

Additionally, the mono image that it's based on was archived several months ago - https://github.com/mono/docker / mono/mono#21796 and is now several versions out of date. I had a bit of an explore but didn't immediately find an obvious replacement. Probably something microsoft/dotnet ?

What is Expected?

I should be able to run chocolatey within docker and install additional packages on a reasonably up to date Linux distro

How Did You Get This To Happen?

1. docker run chocolatey/choco:latest-linux
2. apt update -y

System Details

• Operating System: Linux (Docker) ( https://hub.docker.com/layers/chocolatey/choco/v2.5.0/images/sha256-d09d041dd79fe8001fafa0dbda9b34bc1e5a0c3946bd536827874e0cf01d75bb )
• Windows PowerShell version: N/A
• Chocolatey CLI Version: 2.5.0 (though not relevant)
• Chocolatey Licensed Extension version: N/A
• Chocolatey License type: N/A
• Terminal/Emulator: N/A

Installed Packages

None

Output Log

See above

Additional Context

No response

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[gep13]

The failing Docker Builds is something that I was actually speaking with the team yesterday about. This has only just started happening, as we shipped a new version of Chocolatey CLI, 2.5.0, on 9th July 2025 without any problems.

@LordAro said...
Probably something microsoft/dotnet ?

That is certainly a direction that we are going, but simply put that isn't for quite a while yet.

@LordAro said...
I should be able to run chocolatey within docker and install additional packages on a reasonably up to date Linux distro

Just so I can better understand the requirement here, is there is a reason for you not using the published tags on Docker Hub.

[LordAro]

Just so I can better understand the requirement here, is there is a reason for you not using the published tags on Docker Hub.

I was using the tags (latest-linux), I was just trying to be explicit about which version I was using (these 'latest' tags do have a tendency to change ;) ). Since the failure is due to external factors (debian repos) the exact choco version isn't too important, it's an issue with the image rather than chocolatey

I need additional packages (curl) to do other uploading things - the job was otherwise just using choco apikey & choco push to upload to a private Nuget repo. In the meantime I've swapped the choco calls out with an explicit curl command

[gep13]

@LordAro said...
I was using the tags (latest-linux), I was just trying to be explicit about which version I was using (these 'latest' tags do have a tendency to change ;) )

Sorry, I am still not sure that I follow. We published tags for all the product version, so there is no need to use latest-linux.

How does the current contents of the docker file stop you from using a published tag?

[LordAro]

I don't follow what you don't follow. I use the chocolatey/choco:latest-linux image. I could use :latest, or :v2.5.0 or whatever. It doesn't really matter, because the image is based on debian buster therefore cannot successfully run apt update

[gep13]

@LordAro I "think" I see what you are saying now, but I just want to make sure that we are talking about the same thing...

You are saying that you are trying to use the chocolatey/choco image as the basis for a new docker image, and when you try to do that, you are not able to run apt update, since we have "broken" apt by adding the backports repository.

Is that correct?

I have attempted to mimic that by doing:

docker run -ti --rm chocolatey/choco:latest
choco
choco list
apt update

Which results in the following error:

[LordAro]

That's close enough. I'm not trying to create a new docker image, I'm just trying to use the existing one - in a CI context.

I don't think you have "broken" apt by adding the backports repository, it's because debian themselves have archived the buster repositories. By the looks of things there was some attempt to work around this problem in #3421 but (I think) that only affects the intermediate build container, not the eventual output

[gep13]

@LordAro said...
By the looks of things there was some attempt to work around this problem in #3421 but (I think) that only affects the intermediate build container, not the eventual output

That was for a slightly different problem that we were encountering, but certainly related to what you are discussing here. I have had a chat internally, and we have a path forward, but I can't guarantee when this will be.

In the interim, the suggestion would be to remove the backports repository from the apt configuration, which should allow you to continue usage.

[cconrad]

@gep13 When you will be updating the image, please consider adding support for arm64 (e.g. for Apple Silicon users)

[pauby]

adding support for arm64 (e.g. for Apple Silicon users)

That's not something we are considering at this time.

[shaun-rutherford]

For what it's worth I tested updating the docker-mono project's base image to use Debian bookworm and then built a choco docker image off the test mono image (updating all the appropriate paths and so forth) and it works without issue.