---
name: "alpm-db-files"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "alpm-db"
version: "0.3.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/alpm-db-files/5"
---

# alpm-db-files(5)

File format for listing files, directories and backup metadata contained in an installed alpm-package.

## NAME

alpm-db-files - File format for listing files, directories and backup metadata contained in an installed **alpm-package**.

## DESCRIPTION

The **alpm-db-files** format is a textual format that lists the directories and files contained in a single **alpm-package**. In addition, it encodes the checksum for any file in a package that should be backed up in case it is changed on the target system (see the **backup** keyword in **PKGBUILD**, **PKGINFO** and **SRCINFO** for the relevant functionality).

Such files are named **files** and are located in **alpm-db** structures. They are created by package management software (e.g. **pacman**) from the contents of **alpm-package** files (for the **backup** functionality with the help of **PKGINFO**). Package management software uses them to list and query the paths of directories and files contained in a package file and to track the state of files that should be backed up in case they are changed on the target system.

It is important to not confuse **alpm-db-files** with **alpm-repo-files**, which uses the same file name (**files**) but is used in the context of an **alpm-repo-db**.

### General Format

An **alpm-db-files** file is a UTF-8 encoded, newline-delimited file.

The file may be empty, or contain one or two section headers with one or more section entries each. Empty lines are ignored. Comments are not supported.

### Sections

Each section header line contains the section name in all capital letters, surrounded by percent signs (e.g. `%FILES%`). Section names serve as key for each section-specific value.

Each section allows for one or more *section-specific values*, following the *section header line*.

Note, that if a package tracks no files (e.g. **alpm-meta-package**), then none of the following sections are present, and the **alpm-db-files** file is empty.

### %FILES%

Each value in this section represents either a single file or directory path. The following formatting rules apply to the paths:

- •

  Directories are always listed with a trailing slash (`/`).

- •

  All paths are relative to the system root (i.e., `/usr/bin/foo` is represented as `usr/bin/foo`).

### %BACKUP%

Each value in this section is represented by a single file path, a tab and the **MD-5**(1) hash digest of the file as found in the **alpm-package** that the **alpm-db-files** file describes (e.g. `etc/foo.conf d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e`.

All file paths must be relative to the system root (i.e., `/usr/bin/foo` is represented as `usr/bin/foo`)

This section can only be present, if the `%FILES%` section is also present and each file path is expected to also be present as a value in the `%FILES%` section.

## EXAMPLES

The following is an example of an **alpm-db-files** file for a package named `foo`:

```
%FILES%
etc/
etc/foo.conf
usr/
usr/bin/
usr/bin/foo
usr/share/
usr/share/doc/
usr/share/doc/foo/
usr/share/doc/foo/README.md
%BACKUP%
etc/foo.conf d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e
```

The `%FILES%` section lists the files and directory paths that belong to the package, while the `%BACKUP%` section captures the **MD-5** hash digest of a configuration file as found in the package file.

## SEE ALSO

[**PKGBUILD**(5)](/PKGBUILD/5.md), [**PKGINFO**(5)](/PKGINFO/5.md), [**SRCINFO**(5)](/SRCINFO/5.md), [**alpm-repo-files**(5)](/alpm-repo-files/5.md), [**alpm-db**(7)](/alpm-db/7.md), [**alpm-meta-package**(7)](/alpm-meta-package/7.md), [**alpm-package**(7)](/alpm-package/7.md), [**alpm-package-name**(7)](/alpm-package-name/7.md), [**alpm-repo-db**(7)](/alpm-repo-db/7.md), [**pacman**(8)](/pacman/8.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  MD-5

-

  ⟨https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MD5⟩