dpkg-deb
TLDR
Display package information
$ dpkg-deb -I [path/to/file.deb]
Display package name and version$ dpkg-deb -W [path/to/file.deb]
List package contents$ dpkg-deb -c [path/to/file.deb]
Extract contents to directory$ dpkg-deb -x [path/to/file.deb] [path/to/directory]
Build package from directory$ dpkg-deb -b [path/to/directory]
SYNOPSIS
dpkg-deb action [options] archive|directory
DESCRIPTION
dpkg-deb packs, unpacks, and provides information about Debian archives (.deb files). It's the low-level tool for working with .deb file format.
Used for inspecting packages before installation or creating packages from prepared directory structures.
PARAMETERS
-I, --info archive
Show package information-W, --show archive
Show package name and version-c, --contents archive
List archive contents-x, --extract archive dir
Extract files to directory-X, --vextract
Extract and list files-b, --build dir
Build package from directory
CAVEATS
Lower-level than dpkg; use dpkg for installation. Building packages requires proper debian/ directory structure. Part of dpkg package.
SEE ALSO
dpkg(1), dpkg-query(1), ar(1)
