dpkg

low-level Debian package manager

TLDR

Install a package file

$ sudo dpkg --install [path/to/package.deb]

Unpack without configuring it yet

$ sudo dpkg --unpack [path/to/package.deb]

Configure a package that is unpacked but not set up

$ sudo dpkg --configure [package]

Configure everything left half-installed

$ sudo dpkg --configure -a

Remove a package, keeping its configuration

$ sudo dpkg --remove [package]

Remove a package and its configuration

$ sudo dpkg --purge [package]

List installed packages matching a pattern

$ dpkg --list '[*ssh*]'

Show one package's status

$ dpkg --status [package]

List the files a package installed

$ dpkg --listfiles [package]

Find which package owns a file

$ dpkg --search [/usr/bin/ssh]

List what is inside a .deb without installing it

$ dpkg --contents [path/to/package.deb]

Extract a .deb into a directory

$ dpkg --extract [path/to/package.deb] [path/to/dir]

Verify installed files against their recorded checksums

$ dpkg --verify [package]

Report packages that are broken or half-installed

$ dpkg --audit

SYNOPSIS

dpkg [options] action [package|file]

dpkg is the low-level package manager for Debian-based systems. It handles the installation, removal, and management of .deb packages. Higher-level tools like apt and apt-get use dpkg internally.

PARAMETERS

-i, --install file.deb

Install a package from a .deb file

-r, --remove package

Remove a package (keep configuration files)

-P, --purge package

Remove a package and its configuration files

-l, --list pattern

List packages matching pattern

-L, --listfiles package

List files installed by a package

-c, --contents file.deb

List contents of a .deb file

-S, --search path

Search for a package owning a file

-s, --status package

Display package status details

--configure package

Configure an unpacked package

--unpack file.deb

Unpack but don't configure a package

--get-selections [pattern]

Get list of package selections

--set-selections

Set package selections from stdin

--audit, -C

Search for partially installed packages and suggest how to fix them.

--force-things

Override safety checks (e.g. --force-all, --force-overwrite). Use with care.

--no-act, --dry-run, --simulate

Show what would be done without making changes.

INSTALL

sudo apt install dpkg

sudo dnf install dpkg

sudo pacman -S dpkg

sudo apk add dpkg

sudo zypper install dpkg

brew install dpkg

nix profile install nixpkgs#dpkg

CAVEATS

dpkg does not handle dependencies automatically. Use apt or apt-get for dependency resolution. Configuration files are kept by default when removing packages.

HISTORY

dpkg was originally created for the Debian project in 1994 by Ian Murdock, then rewritten in C by Ian Jackson who became its primary developer. It remains the foundation of package management on Debian-based systems.