AUR
also: Arch User Repository
The Arch User Repository (AUR) is a community-driven collection of build recipes for software packages not in Arch Linux's official repositories, allowing users to compile and install software from source.
The AUR is a package repository unique to Arch Linux that contains PKGBUILDs—build scripts that automate downloading source code, compiling, and packaging software. Unlike official repositories managed by Arch developers, AUR packages are maintained by the community and are not pre-compiled.
To use AUR packages, you clone the PKGBUILD, review it for security, then run makepkg -si to build and install locally. This gives users access to thousands of additional programs while maintaining Arch's philosophy of user control and customization.
Example: git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/package-name.git followed by cd package-name && makepkg -si downloads and compiles a package from AUR. Popular AUR helpers like yay or paru automate this process.