pkgrel

pkgrel is a component of package naming conventions, particularly prevalent in certain Linux distributions and package management systems like pacman, used by Arch Linux. It signifies the revision number of a package. When a package is updated with bug fixes or minor changes that do not constitute a new upstream version, the package maintainer will increment the pkgrel. This allows users to distinguish between different builds of the same software version. For example, a package might be named `package-1.2.3-1`, where `1.2.3` is the upstream version number and `1` is the pkgrel. If the maintainer releases an update for this same version, say to fix a packaging bug, the new name might become `package-1.2.3-2`. The pkgrel is distinct from the upstream version number, which is determined by the software developers themselves. A higher pkgrel indicates a more recent build of the package by the distribution's maintainers. This system helps ensure that users are installing the latest tested and packaged version of a specific software release.