Dpkg

dpkg
Original author(s)Ian Murdock
Developer(s)The Debian Project
Initial releaseJanuary 1994; 30 years ago (1994-01)[1]
Stable release
1.21.22[2] Edit this on Wikidata / 24 May 2023
Preview release
1.22.7[3] Edit this on Wikidata / 17 July 2024
Repository
Written inC, C++, Perl[4]
Operating systemUnix-like
Available in42 languages[5]
TypePackage manager
LicenseGPLv2
Websitewiki.debian.org/Teams/Dpkg

dpkg is the software at the base of the package management system in the free operating system Debian and its numerous derivatives. dpkg is used to install, remove, and provide information about .deb packages.

dpkg (Debian Package) itself is a low-level tool. APT (Advanced Package Tool), a higher-level tool, is more commonly used than dpkg as it can fetch packages from remote locations and deal with complex package relations, such as dependency resolution. Frontends for APT, like aptitude (ncurses) and synaptic (GTK), are used for their friendlier interfaces.

The Debian package "dpkg" provides the dpkg program, as well as several other programs necessary for run-time functioning of the packaging system, including dpkg-deb, dpkg-split, dpkg-query, dpkg-statoverride, dpkg-divert and dpkg-trigger.[6] It also includes the programs such as update-alternatives and start-stop-daemon. The install-info program used to be included as well, but was later removed[7] as it is now developed and distributed separately.[8] The Debian package "dpkg-dev" includes the numerous build tools described below.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference first-release was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Guillem Jover (3 September 2023). "Release 1.21.22". Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  3. ^ Guillem Jover (17 July 2024). "Release 1.22.7". Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  4. ^ "dpkg on git.dpkg.org". Dpkg Developers. 2018-07-15. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  5. ^ "po/LINGUAS". Dpkg Developers. 2022-11-22.
  6. ^ "dpkg package file list". Debian project. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  7. ^ Jover, Guillem. "Removal of install-info from dpkg". Debian project. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  8. ^ "GNU Texinfo project". GNU project. Retrieved 9 March 2015.