---
name: "apt-spy.conf"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "apt-spy"
version: "3.2.2-1"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/apt-spy.conf"
---

# apt-spy.conf(5)

configuration file for apt-spy(8)

## NAME

apt-spy.conf - configuration file for [apt-spy(8)](/apt-spy/8.md)

## DESCRIPTION

**apt-spy.conf** is the configuration file for [**apt-spy**(8)](/apt-spy/8.md).  It consists of a series of area labels, followed by a list of countries belonging to that label.  Whitespace is ignored.

Comments may be added anywhere, and begin with the hash ('#') character. Once a hash character is encountered, the rest of the line is ignored.

A label consists of any alphanumeric characters, and ends with a colon character (':').  The label must be on a line by itself (excluding comments).

Following a label are a list of country codes (one per line) of countries belonging to that label.

Each country has a unique two-letter country code corresponding to its top level domain identifier. This is the same as the ISO3166 code. You can find the country code for a specific country either by looking at **/var/lib/apt-spy/mirrors.txt,** or by looking at the commented examples in the default **apt-spy.conf**.

Labels cannot exist within labels.   The end of a label section is signaled by the start of a new one, or by the end of file.

Any valid label existing in **apt-spy.conf** can be specified to apt-spy using the '-a' option.  apt-spy will then proceed to benchmark the mirrors in the list of countries associated with that label.

## EXAMPLES

- This is an example of a valid apt-spy.conf file:

  ```
  	USUK:
  		GB	# United Kingdom
  		US	# United States
  	Australia:
  		AU
  	France-Germany-Netherlands:
  		FR
  		DE
  		NL
  ```

There is a default configuration file included with apt-spy. For further examples, and for a list of valid country codes, please refer to this.

## SEE ALSO

[**apt-spy**(8)](/apt-spy/8.md), [**apt**(8)](/apt/8.md), [**sources.list**(5)](/sources.list/5.md)