debi

debi is a small command-line tool for Debian-based Linux distributions that installs local Debian package files (.deb) and automatically resolves and fetches their dependencies from configured APT repositories. It functions as a wrapper around dpkg and APT, offering a straightforward way to install a single .deb file without manual dependency management.

Unlike dpkg, which installs packages without resolving dependencies, debi integrates with APT to locate and install any required dependencies, ensuring a working installation as long as dependencies are available in the configured repositories. It is sometimes described as a lightweight alternative to gdebi.

Usage typically involves running with elevated privileges, for example: sudo debi package.deb, or sudo debi http://example.com/package.deb. debi can also accept remote URLs to download and install.

Availability and ecosystem: debi is part of the broader family of Debian-based package helpers and is not always installed by default. It competes with other tools such as gdebi and apt for installing local .deb files. Some distributions may provide more integrated solutions or have deprecated it.

See also: gdebi, dpkg, apt.