dpkg

TLDR

Install a package

$ sudo dpkg -i [path/to/file.deb]

Remove a package

$ sudo dpkg -r [package]

List installed packages

$ dpkg -l [pattern]

List a package's contents

$ dpkg -L [package]

List contents of a local package file

$ dpkg -c [path/to/file.deb]

Find which package owns a file

$ dpkg -S [path/to/file]

Purge a package including configuration files

$ sudo dpkg -P [package]

Show package status

$ dpkg -s [package]

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

Get list of package selections

--set-selections

Set package selections from stdin

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 created for the Debian project in 1994 by Ian Murdock and Matt Welsh. It remains the foundation of package management on Debian-based systems.