--- name: "dpkg-deb" section: "8" platform: "linux" package: "dpkg" version: "1.2.6elf" release: "Debian 1.1 (Buzz)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/dpkg-deb/8" --- # dpkg-deb(8) Debian package archive (.deb) manipulation tool ## NAME dpkg-deb - Debian package archive (.deb) manipulation tool ## SYNOPSIS **dpkg-deb** **-b**\|**--build** *directory* \[*archive*\]\ **dpkg-deb** **-I**\|**--info** *archive* \[*control-file-name* ..\]\ **dpkg-deb** **-f**\|**--field** *archive* \[*control-field-name* ...\]\ **dpkg-deb** **-c**\|**--contents** *archive*\ **dpkg-deb** **-x**\|**--extract**\|**-X**\|**--vextract** *archive directory*\ **dpkg-deb --fsys-tarfile** *archive*\ **dpkg-deb --control** *archive directory* ## DESCRIPTION **dpkg-deb** packs, unpacks and provides information about Debian archives. Use **dpkg** to install and remove packages from your system. You can also invoke **dpkg-deb** by calling **dpkg** with whatever options you want to pass to **dpkg-deb**. **dpkg** will spot that you wanted **dpkg-deb** and run it for you. ## ACTION OPTIONS - **-b**, **--build** Creates a debian archive from the filesystem tree stored in *directory*. *directory* must have a **DEBIAN** subdirectory, which contains the control information files such as the control file itself. This directory will *not* appear in the binary package's filesystem archive, but instead the files in it will be put in the binary package's control information area. Unless you specify **--no-check**, **dpkg-deb** will read **DEBIAN/control** and parse it. It will check it for syntax errors and other problems, and display the name of the binary package being built. **dpkg-deb** will also check the permissions of the maintainer scripts and other files found in the **DEBIAN** control information directory. If no *archive* is specified then **dpkg-deb** will write the package into the file *directory***.deb**. If the archive to be created already exists it will be overwritten. - **--info**, **-I** Provides information about a binary package archive. If no *control-file-name*s are specified then it will print a summary of the contents of the package as well as its control file. If any *control-file-name*s are specified then **dpkg-deb** will print them in the order they were specified; if any of the components weren't present it will print an error message to stderr about each one and exit with status 2. - **--field**, **-f** Extracts control file information from a binary package archive. If no **control-file-field**s are specified then it will print the whole control file. If any are specified then **dpkg-deb** will print their contents, in the order in which they appear in the control file. If more than one **control-file-field** is specified then **dpkg-deb** will precede each with its field name (and a colon and space). No errors are reported for fields requested but not found. - **--contents**, **-c** Lists the contents of the filesystem tree archive portion of the package archive. It is currently produced in the format generated by **tar**'s verbose listing. - **--extract**, **-x**, **--vextract**, **-X** Extracts the filesystem tree from a package archive into the specified directory. **--vextract** (**-X**) prints a listing of the files extracted as it goes, while **--extract** (**-x**) is silent unless an error occurs. Note that extracting a package to the root directory will *not* result in a correct installation ! Use **dpkg** to install packages. *directory* (but not its parents) will be created if necessary. - **--fsys-tarfile** Extracts the filesystem tree data from a binary package and sends it to standard output in **tar** format. Together with **tar** this can be used to extract a particular file from a package archive. - **--control**, **-e** Extracs the control information files from a package archive into the specified directory. If no directory is specified then a subdirectory **DEBIAN** in the current directory is used. The target directory (but not its parents) will be created if necessary. - **--help**, **-h** Prints **dpkg-deb**'s usage message, giving a summary of its options and their uses. - **--version** Prints **dpkg-deb**'s version number. - **--licence** Prints information about **dpkg-deb**'s copyright licensing and lack of warranty. (The American spelling **--license** is also supported.) ## OTHER OPTIONS - **--new** Ensures that **dpkg-deb** builds a \`new' format archive. This is the default. - **--old** Forces **dpkg-deb** to build an \`old' format archive. This old archive format is less easily parsed by non-Debian tools and is now obsolete; its only use is when building packages to be parsed by versions of dpkg older than 0.93.76 (September 1995), which was released as i386 a.out only. - **--no-check** Inhibit's **dpkg-deb --build**'s usual checks on the proposed contents of an archive. You can build any archive you want, no matter how broken, this way. - **--debug**, **-D** Enables debugging output. This is not very interesting. ## BUGS **dpkg-deb -I** *package1***.deb** *package2***.deb** does the wrong thing. There is no authentication on **.deb** files; in fact, there isn't even a straightforward checksum. Do not attempt to use just **dpkg-deb** to install software ! You must use **dpkg** proper to ensure that all the files are correctly placed and the package's scripts run and its status and contents recorded. ## SEE ALSO [**deb**(5)](/deb/5.md), [**deb-control**(5)](/deb-control/5.md), **dpkg**(5), [**dpkg**(8)](/dpkg/8.md), [**dselect**(8)](/dselect/8.md). ## AUTHOR **dpkg-deb** and this manpage were written by Ian Jackson. They are Copyright (C)1995-1996 by him and released under the GNU General Public Licence; there is NO WARRANTY. See **/usr/doc/copyright/dpkg** and **/usr/doc/copyright/GPL** for details.