Apt
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Apartment |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Geography & Places, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | APT |
Apt has three meanings. The most common are Apartment (address) and Advanced persistent threat (cybersecurity); it can also stand for Advanced Package Tool.
Meanings of Apt at a glance
| # | Apt stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apartment | Geography & Places › Address |
| 2 | Advanced persistent threat | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
| 3 | Advanced Package Tool | Technology & Computing › Software |
1. Apartment
Geography & Places · Address Abbreviations
Secondary unit designator for an apartment, written after the street address, as in 350 Main St Apt 12B. USPS prefers the unit on the same line as the street so that automated sorting equipment reads it correctly.
Example: Ship to 77 Linden Ave Apt 3C, Brooklyn, NY 11226.
APT is the USPS standard; Apt. with a period and the # sign are also accepted, but combining them (Apt #3C) is redundant. British addresses use Flat instead. Missing apartment numbers are one of the most common reasons mail to multi-unit buildings is returned.
2. Advanced persistent threat (APT)
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
A sophisticated, well-resourced attacker, typically state-sponsored, that gains long-term covert access to a target network to steal data or prepare sabotage. Security firms track such groups with numbered names such as APT28 and APT41.
Example: The report attributes the intrusion to an APT that has targeted defense contractors since 2014.
The term was coined by the US Air Force around 2006 and popularized by Mandiant's 2013 report on APT1, a unit it linked to China's People's Liberation Army. Groups carry different names at different vendors, so APT28 is also known as Fancy Bear. In Linux, APT means the Advanced Package Tool used by Debian and Ubuntu.
3. Advanced Package Tool (APT)
Technology & Computing · Software Abbreviations
Package management system of Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and related distributions, used to download, install, upgrade and remove software from online repositories while resolving dependencies automatically.
Example: Run sudo apt install vlc to install VLC from the Ubuntu repositories.
APT appeared in Debian in 1998 and works with .deb packages through the lower-level dpkg tool. The friendlier apt command arrived in 2014 alongside the older apt-get and apt-cache. Third-party software is often added through extra repositories or Ubuntu PPAs. In cybersecurity, APT means advanced persistent threat, an unrelated term.
Related abbreviations
More address abbreviations
- Aly – Alley
- Anx – Annex
- Apdo. – Apartado de correos (post office box)
- Arc – Arcade
- Attn – Attention
- Ave – Avenue
- BFPO – British Forces Post Office
- Bldg – Building
See all 118 address abbreviations →