cargo-deb

Create a Debian package from a project

$ cargo deb

$ cargo deb [[-o|--output]] [path/to/file_or_directory]

$ cargo deb --target [x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu]

$ cargo deb [[-p|--package]] [package_name]

$ cargo deb --install

cargo deb [-p SPEC …] [--target TRIPLE] [--variant NAME] [-- BUILD_ARGS …]

-p, --package SPEC…
    Package to build (see cargo pkgid)

--manifest-path PATH
    Path to Cargo.toml

--target TRIPLE
    Triple to build for

--target-dir DIR
    Target build directory

--variant NAME
    Build with specified variant

--no-build
    Skip building the package

--deb-version VERSION
    Override Debian version

--revision REVISION
    Override Debian revision

--features FEATURES…
    Space/comma-separated features

--no-default-features
    Disable default features

--all-features
    Activate all available features

--init
    Initialize debian/ directory

--dry-run
    Print commands without executing

-v…, --verbose …
    Increase verbosity

-h, --help
    Print help

-V, --version
    Print version

Cargo-deb is a Cargo subcommand designed to streamline building Debian (.deb) packages from Rust projects. It integrates Cargo's build system with Debian packaging tools like debhelper and dh-cargo, automatically generating compliant binary and source packages.

Key features include handling Cargo.toml metadata (name, version, dependencies), support for multiple binaries, workspaces, and features. Users can customize via a debian/ directory for control files, rules.d, patches, or inline Cargo metadata like [[package.metadata.deb]].

Installation: cargo install cargo-deb. Basic usage: cd your-rust-project && cargo deb, producing files in target/debian/. It supports cross-compilation (--target), variants for suites (--variant), dependency overrides, and dry runs. Ideal for Debian/Ubuntu packaging, it respects Rust toolchain versions and generates fields like Depends, Suggests.

Cargo-deb reduces boilerplate, ensuring reproducible builds and Debian policy compliance, making Rust apps/libraries distributable on .deb-based systems.

Requires debhelper, dh-cargo, build-essential on Debian systems; cross-compilation needs additional Rust targets/toolchains. Not for non-Debian distros without adaptation.

cargo install cargo-deb; available in Debian/Ubuntu repos as cargo-deb.

Generates .deb in target/debian/<pkg>*.deb; use --no-act to simulate.

Created by Michael Stahl (mmstick) in 2017 for Rust Debian packaging; evolved with Rust ecosystem, now maintained by cargo-deb org. Integrated into Debian Rust team workflows since ~2018.

cargo(1), debuild(1), dpkg-buildpackage(1), dh_make(1), dh-cargo(1)