checkinstall

track source installs and create packages

TLDR

Create and install a package with default settings

$ sudo checkinstall -y

Create a package but don't install it

$ sudo checkinstall --install=no

Create a package without documentation

$ sudo checkinstall --nodoc

Create a package and set the name

$ sudo checkinstall --pkgname [package]

Specify where to save the package

$ sudo checkinstall --pakdir [path/to/directory]

SYNOPSIS

checkinstall [options] [install command]

checkinstall tracks the installation of software from source and produces a binary package that can be managed by the system's native package manager (deb, rpm, or Slackware tgz).Instead of running `make install` directly, running `checkinstall` monitors which files are created during installation and packages them. This allows clean removal and management of locally compiled software.

PARAMETERS

-y, --default

Accept all default values non-interactively

--install=yes|no

Whether to install the package after creation

--nodoc

Don't include documentation in the package

--pkgname name

Set the package name

--pakdir path

Directory to save the created package

-D

Create a Debian package

-R

Create an RPM package

-S

Create a Slackware package

--type TYPE

Choose packaging system: slackware, debian, or rpm

--pkgversion VERSION

Set the package version

--pkgrelease RELEASE

Set the package release number

--requires DEPS

Specify dependencies required by the package

--gzman

Compress any man pages found inside the package

--exclude PATH

Exclude files or directories from the package

--include FILE

Force inclusion of files/dirs listed in the given file

--inspect

Inspect the package's file list before creating it

CAVEATS

Must be run as root for most useful operations. The resulting package may not be as polished as official distribution packages. Some installations may create files outside tracked directories.

HISTORY

checkinstall was created to solve the problem of managing software installed from source code. It provides a bridge between traditional source compilation and modern package management systems.