debpakket

A debpakket is a software package format used by the Debian project and its derivatives to distribute precompiled software along with metadata in a single file with the .deb extension. It is the standard packaging format for Debian-based systems, including Debian itself, Ubuntu, and many related distributions.

A debpakket is an ar archive that typically contains three members: debian-binary, control.tar.gz (or control.tar.xz/bz2), and data.tar.gz (or data.tar.xz/bz2). The debian-binary file specifies theDebian package format version. The control tarball holds metadata about the package, including fields such as Package, Version, Architecture, Maintainer, Description, and dependencies (Depends, Recommends, Suggests, Conflicts, etc.). The data tarball contains the files to be installed on the system, arranged to mirror the target filesystem layout.

Package management is performed by dpkg at a low level, or by higher-level tools such as APT, which resolves dependencies and retrieves packages from repositories. Users commonly install with commands like apt install name or dpkg -i package.deb. Packages can be upgraded, configured, or removed, and scripts may run during installation or removal (preinst, postinst, prerm, postrm).

Packaging standards are governed by the Debian Policy Manual. A debpakket includes control information and may ship conffiles that should be preserved on upgrades. Repositories use digital signatures to verify integrity and authenticity, while package managers perform dependency checks and conflict resolution to maintain system consistency.

Historically introduced in the 1990s, the debpakket format remains the core packaging format for Debian and many derivatives. It enables consistent distribution, installation, and maintenance of software across compatible systems.