apt-file

Update the metadata database

$ sudo apt update

$ apt-file search [path/to/file]

$ apt-file show [package]

$ apt-file search -x [regex]

apt-file [options] command [pattern]

apt-file searches for files in apt packages, including packages that are not yet installed. This is useful for finding which package provides a specific file or command.

search, find pattern

Search for packages containing files matching pattern

List the contents of a specific package

Update the package contents cache (usually via apt update)

Treat pattern as a regular expression

Only show package names, not file paths

Do not treat pattern as a regex (faster)

Case-insensitive search

Search for a specific architecture

Requires the apt-file package to be installed. The database must be updated before searching.

Part of the APT (Advanced Package Tool) ecosystem for Debian-based systems.

apt(8), apt-cache(8), dpkg(1)