---
name: "alpm-package"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "alpm-docs"
version: "0.13.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/alpm-package"
---

# alpm-package(7)

a package based on Arch Linux Package Management (ALPM) concepts.

## NAME

package - a package based on **A**rch **L**inux **P**ackage **M**anagement (ALPM) concepts.

## DESCRIPTION

ALPM based packages refer to (optionally compressed) **tar** archives that contain package files. Package files encompass mandatory **metadata** files as well as optional **scripts** and **data** files.

Package files are created from package sources (i.e. **PKGBUILD**) using package build software (e.g. **makepkg**). For Arch Linux specific package build software refer to **devtools** and **pkgctl**.

Package management software (e.g. **pacman**) relies on **metadata** files and **scripts** for the purpose of dependency resolution and installation. **Data** files can be installed on compatible target systems using package management software.

## FORMAT

*Uncompressed* ALPM based package files follow the following naming scheme:

An **alpm-package-name** directly followed by a ‘-’ sign, directly followed by an **alpm-package-version** (in the *full* or *full with epoch* form), directly followed by a ‘-’ sign, directly followed by an **alpm-architecture**, directly followed by the string ‘.pkg.tar’, e.g.:

- •

  `example-1.0.0-1-any.pkg.tar`

- •

  `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar`

### Compression

ALPM based packages may optionally be compressed using a single supported compression technology. If a package is compressed, a technology-specific suffix is appended to the file name:

- •

  `.Z` for compression based on adaptive Lempel-Ziv coding (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.Z`), see the **compress** command

- •

  `.bz2` for **bzip2** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.bz2`)

- •

  `.gz` for **gzip** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.gz`)

- •

  `.lrz` for **lrzip** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.lrz`)

- •

  `.lz4` for **lz4** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.lz4`)

- •

  `.lz` for **lzip** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.lz`)

- •

  `.lzo` for **lzop** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.lzo`)

- •

  `.xz` for **xz** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.xz`)

- •

  `.zst` for **zstd** compression (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst`)

Handling of compression technologies is specific to the package build tool. Refer to **COMPRESSBZ2**, **COMPRESSGZ**, **COMPRESSLRZ**, **COMPRESSLZ**, **COMPRESSLZ4**, **COMPRESSLZO**, **COMPRESSXZ**, **COMPRESSZ**, **COMPRESSZST** and **PKGEXT** in **makepkg.conf** for compression options and package extensions used in **makepkg**.

### Digital signatures

Digital signatures can be created for package files.

Currently, only **OpenPGP detached signatures** over the package file are supported. Detached signatures carry the same name as the package file for which they are created, with an additional `.sig` suffix (e.g. `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst.sig` is the digital signature for a package file `example-1.0.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst`).

## CONTENTS

The contents of an ALPM based package are distinguished between **metadata**, **scripts** and **data** files.

### Metadata

The following files must be present at the root of an ALPM based package:

- •

  `.BUILDINFO`: a **BUILDINFO** file

- •

  `.MTREE`: an **ALPM-MTREE** file

- •

  `.PKGINFO`: a **PKGINFO** file

The above files provide relevant metadata for the installation, upgrade and uninstallation of packages on a target system (see **alpm-package-relation** for details on dependency resolution), as well as reproducibly building a bit-by-bit identical package from the same sources (see **reproducible builds**\[2\]).

### Scripts

Optionally, an **alpm-install-scriptlet** named `.INSTALL` may be present at the root of an ALPM based package.

### Data

Zero or more **data** files may be present in an ALPM based package (refer to **alpm-meta-package** for details on why packages may not contain any **data** files).

All existing **data** files of a package are extracted to the **root directory**\[3\] of a target system upon installation of the package.

No specific rules exist on which **data** files (and directories) are allowed as contents of a package, but it is advisable to adhere to common standards such as the **systemd File Hierarchy Requirements**\[4\] and/or the **Filesystem Hierarchy Standard**\[5\] and by default have all files and directories be owned by `root`. In conclusion, it is best practice to never package files in directories that contain user data (e.g. below `/home`).

More specific guidelines around the validation of **data** files in packages are subject to the implementer’s discretion (e.g. a distribution using ALPM).

## EXAMPLES

The following example **PKGBUILD** defines the package `example` which only creates a single **data** file (plus the directories in which it is located):

```
pkgname=example
pkgver=1.0.0
pkgrel=1
pkgdesc="A simple package example"
arch=(any)
url="https://example.org"
license=(GPL-3.0-or-later)
package() {
  install -vdm 755 "$pkgdir/usr/share/$pkgname/"
  echo "data" > "$pkgdir/usr/share/$pkgname/data.txt"
}
```

Assuming **makepkg** is used to build a package from above **PKGBUILD** and is configured to use **zstd** for compression, the resulting package file is called `example-1.0.0-1-any.pkg.tar.zst`.

The package file contents can be examined as follows:

```
$ tar -tf example-1.0.0-1-any.pkg.tar.zst
.BUILDINFO
.MTREE
.PKGINFO
usr/
usr/share/
usr/share/example/
usr/share/example/data.txt
```

## SEE ALSO

[**bzip2**(1)](/bzip2/1.md), [**compress**(1)](/compress/1.md), [**gzip**(1)](/gzip/1.md), [**lrzip**(1)](/lrzip/1.md), [**lz4**(1)](/lz4/1.md), [**lzip**(1)](/lzip/1.md), [**lzop**(1)](/lzop/1.md), [**pkgctl**(1)](/pkgctl/1.md), [**tar**(1)](/tar/1.md), [**xz**(1)](/xz/1.md), [**zstd**(1)](/zstd/1.md), [**ALPM-MTREE**(5)](/ALPM-MTREE/5.md), [**BUILDINFO**(5)](/BUILDINFO/5.md), [**PKGBUILD**(5)](/PKGBUILD/5.md), [**PKGINFO**(5)](/PKGINFO/5.md), [**makepkg.conf**(5)](/makepkg.conf/5.md), [**SRCINFO**(5)](/SRCINFO/5.md), [**alpm-install-scriptlet**(5)](/alpm-install-scriptlet/5.md), [**alpm-architecture**(7)](/alpm-architecture/7.md), [**alpm-meta-package**(7)](/alpm-meta-package/7.md), [**alpm-package-name**(7)](/alpm-package-name/7.md), [**alpm-package-relation**(7)](/alpm-package-relation/7.md), [**alpm-package-version**(7)](/alpm-package-version/7.md), [**alpm-split-package**(7)](/alpm-split-package/7.md), [**devtools**(7)](/devtools/7.md), [**makepkg**(8)](/makepkg/8.md), [**pacman**(8)](/pacman/8.md)

## NOTES

- 1\.

  **OpenPGP detached signatures**

-

  ⟨https://openpgp.dev/book/signing\_data.html#detached-signatures⟩

- 2\.

  **reproducible builds**

-

  ⟨https://reproducible-builds.org/⟩

- 3\.

  **root directory**

-

  ⟨https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root\_directory⟩

- 4\.

  **systemd File Hierarchy Requirements**

-

  ⟨https://systemd.io/SYSTEMD\_FILE\_HIERARCHY\_REQUIREMENTS/⟩

- 5\.

  **Filesystem Hierarchy Standard**

-

  ⟨https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem\_Hierarchy\_Standard⟩