deb (file format)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Debian package | |
|---|---|
| File name extension | .deb |
| Internet media type | application/x-deb |
| Developed by | Debian |
| Type of format | Package management system |
| Container for | Software package |
deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. Like the "Deb" part of the term Debian, it originates from the name of Debra, wife of Debian's founder Ian Murdock.
Debian packages are also used in distributions based on Debian.
Debian packages are standard Unix ar archives that include two gzipped or bzipped tar archives: one that holds the control information and another that contains the data.
The canonical program for handling these packages is dpkg, most commonly via apt/aptitude.
deb packages can be converted into other packages and vice versa using Alien.
Some core Debian packages are available as udebs (“micro debs”), and are typically used only for bootstrapping a Debian installation. Although these files use the “udeb” filename extension, they adhere to the same structure specification as ordinary deb files. However, unlike their deb counterparts, udeb packages contain only essential functional files. In particular, documentation files are normally omitted. udeb packages are not installable on a standard Debian system.
[edit] Implementation
Since Debian 0.93, a deb file is implemented as an ar archive. Canonical contents of this archive are three files:
- debian-binary: deb format version number. This is "2.0" for current versions of Debian
- control.tar.gz: all package metainformation
- data.tar or data.tar.gz or data.tar.bz2 or data.tar.lzma: the actual installable files
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Debian FAQ: Basics of the Debian package management system
- Article on what to do with .deb files
- Gdebi
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