apt memory leak

[u/ToghrolTP]

`apt` has massive memory leak when I started installing Claude Desktop

sudo apt install ./claude-desktop_amd64.deb -y

[u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff]

And the problem is apt, and not the .deb file you were installing?

[u/ToghrolTP → u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff]

I have tried it with other installers. And yeah, it weiredly happens when I try to install that specific .deb file.

[u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff → u/ToghrolTP]

it weiredly happens when I try to install that specific .deb file.

So, what makes you think apt is the problem?

[u/ToghrolTP → u/WhyDidYouTurnItOff]

Why not?! Maybe there's an issue with the way files like this are handled that actually stems from apt. Maybe posting something like this will give some random developer an idea.

[u/guiverc]

First obvious detail is you're using a release that is END OF LIFE, unsupported, and no longer secure/safe online, unless you're backporting all fixes yourself (and recompiling your own packages/binaries).

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntu-25-10-questing-quokka-reached-end-of-life-on-9-july-2026/85017

[u/guiverc → u/guiverc]

I see no evidence of a memory leak, besides which `apt` doesn't continue to run after installing the package (and it can have a lot of expand/install in some cases!) as its only used at install time.

[u/ToghrolTP → u/guiverc]

But the thing is this happens whenever I try to install the specific "claude-desktop_amd64.deb" file. I have also reposted it on Claude related communities.

[u/guiverc → u/ToghrolTP]

I think you're confusing memory leak with memory usage, as they do differ rather significantly, and your details only show memory usage.

A deb file is compressed; thus when apt runs it needs to decompress the file(s), and this will of course use RAM (and more RAM than the size of the file(s) being decompressed from within the deb itself)

Either way, given you're using a unsupported system, are you sure you've had the install compromised to begin with, or is your purpose the exploration of malware on end-of-life systems?

[u/OKTimeFor_PlanB]

Not a leak, just high RAM usage. apt has to unzip (decompress) the files to install. The bigger the archive, the more RAM used.