Chocolatey is a package manager for Windows that provides a centralized repository of software packages. It simplifies the process of installing, updating, and managing software on Windows machines through a command-line interface (CLI). Here’s a comprehensive overview of Chocolatey and its key features:

Key Features:

• Package Management: Chocolatey allows users to search, install, update, and uninstall software packages from a curated repository called the Chocolatey Community Repository (formerly known as the Chocolatey Gallery). This repository contains a wide range of popular software applications, utilities, and tools.

• Command-line Interface (CLI): Users interact with Chocolatey primarily through the command line, making it efficient for scripting and automation tasks. The CLI supports commands for searching packages, installing multiple packages in one command, upgrading packages, and more.

• Automation and Scripting: Chocolatey is designed with automation in mind, enabling administrators and developers to automate software installation and management tasks. This is particularly useful for configuring new machines or deploying software across multiple systems.

• Versioning and Dependencies: Chocolatey manages software versions and dependencies automatically. When installing a package, Chocolatey resolves and installs any dependencies required by the software, ensuring compatibility and stability.

• Community Edition: Free and open-source, it provides access to the Chocolatey Community Repository and basic package management features.

  • Chocolatey for Business (C4B): Includes additional features such as package internalization, package audit and reporting, and more granular management capabilities suitable for enterprise environments.

  • Package Creation and Hosting: Users can create their own packages using Chocolatey’s packaging framework. Packages can be hosted on public or private repositories, allowing organizations to manage internal software distributions.

• Security and Trust: Chocolatey emphasizes security by digitally signing packages in the official repository. This helps ensure that packages have not been tampered with and provides a level of trust in the software being installed.

Installing-Chocolatey

Check Current Execution Policy

To check the current execution policy, run the following command in PowerShell in Administrator mode:

•   Get-ExecutionPolicy
  

If the command returns Restricted, you can change the execution policy to either AllSigned or Bypass for the current process. Use one of the following commands:

Change Execution Policy to AllSigned

•   Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned
  

Make sure you give permissions by typing yes while installations.

Change Execution Policy to Bypass for the Current Process

•   Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process
  

Make sure you have the necessary administrative privileges to change the execution policy.

Then paste this below code in powershell

•   Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))
  

• Ignore the warning message while installation

• After installation type choco or choco - to check either it is installed or not.

If not working then copy the code from documentation page of Chocolatey website https://chocolatey.org/install

Chocolatey commands to install various common software and packages

Each command is executed in an elevated (administrative) PowerShell window.

Basic Software Installations

1. Google Chrome:

    choco install googlechrome -y
   

2. Mozilla Firefox:

    choco install firefox -y
   

3. Visual Studio Code:

    choco install vscode -y
   

4. 7-Zip:

    choco install 7zip -y
   

5. Git:

    choco install git -y
   

6. Node.js (with npm):

    choco install nodejs -y
   

7. Python 3:

    choco install python -y
   

8. Java Development Kit (JDK):

    choco install jdk8 -y
   

9. Docker:

    choco install docker-desktop -y
   

10. Slack:

    choco install slack -y
    

11. Zoom:

    choco install zoom -y
    

12. VLC Media Player:

    choco install vlc -y
    

13. Notepad++:

    choco install notepadplusplus -y
    

14. WinRAR:

    choco install winrar -y
    

15. Skype:

    choco install skype -y
    

Development Tools

1. Postman:

    choco install postman -y
   

2. MySQL:

    choco install mysql -y
   

3. MongoDB:

    choco install mongodb -y
   

4. Redis:

    choco install redis-64 -y
   

5. Visual Studio 2019 Community:

    choco install visualstudio2019community -y
   

6. .NET Core SDK:

    choco install dotnetcore-sdk -y
   

7. IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition:

    choco install intellijidea-community -y
   

8. PyCharm Community Edition:

    choco install pycharm-community -y
   

Utilities

1. Sysinternals Suite:

    choco install sysinternals -y
   

2. CCleaner:

    choco install ccleaner -y
   

3. PuTTY:

    choco install putty -y
   

4. FileZilla:

    choco install filezilla -y
   

5. WinSCP:

    choco install winscp -y
   

6. ConEmu:

    choco install conemu -y
   

7. OpenSSH:

    choco install openssh -y
   

Productivity Software

1. LibreOffice:

    choco install libreoffice-fresh -y
   

2. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC:

    choco install adobereader -y
   

3. Evernote:

    choco install evernote -y
   

4. Microsoft Office 365 Business:

    choco install office365business -y
   

5. OneNote:

    choco install onenote -y
   

Communication Tools

1. Microsoft Teams:

    choco install microsoft-teams -y
   

2. Discord:

    choco install discord -y
   

3. Telegram:

    choco install telegram -y
   

You can find more packages and their respective installation commands on the Chocolatey website. Always ensure you are using an elevated PowerShell window to install these packages using Chocolatey.