Wiki

• FrontPage
• RecentChanges
• FindPage
• HelpContents
• Packaging

Translation(s): English - Italiano - Svenska - Русский

This portal is about information relevant to developers wishing to package software for Debian. If you were looking for information on installing and removing packages from your Debian system, see the package management page.

Debian packages are maintained by a community of Debian Developers and volunteers.

Introduction to Debian Packaging

To get a good grounding in Debian packaging:

• first read the excellent introduction to Debian Packaging to build a package from scratch,

• you can also look at the building tutorial to apply changes to an existing package.

• if you are new to debian, then setting up debian unstable system can help you setup a development environment.

Now that you have seen the basics, it is highly recommended that you read some real stuff:

• the Debian New Maintainers' Guide describes the building of a Debian package to ordinary Debian users.

• the Debian Policy includes technical requirements that each package must satisfy.

Then, if you are looking for answers, you can come back here or read:

• the interesting pdf file included in the package packaging-tutorial.

• The Developers Reference provides an overview of the recommended procedures and the available resources for Debian developers.

What not to do:

• There are no shortcuts to learning good packaging practices. Avoid equivs which is only useful for building trivial metapackages and does not teach you anything about packaging.

Packaging Procedures

Types / Formats

• AndroidTools - android tools

• Fonts - packages

• Go - libraries and applications

• Haskell - libraries

• Java - libraries and applications

• JavaScript - libraries and applications

• Lua - modules

• Mono - libraries and applications

• Mozilla Extensions - XUL extensions

• OCaml - libraries

• Python - modules and applications

• Ruby - modules and applications

• RPM - repackaging RPM packages as .deb packages

Tools

• Quilt - patch management

• Darcs - version control

• Git - version control

• sbuild - clean build tool

• Pbuilder - clean build tool

• Secure Pbuilder - builder tool

• build scripts used by ruby team - helps testing reverse dependencies easily

Advanced Procedures

• some advanced building tips

• How to make a Debian package without using a helper

• hacking dependencies

Useful Pages

• Packaging FAQ

• Mentors sponsors/mentors for packages in specific areas of Debian

• Renaming a Package

• Package Transition

• ?Adding and removing diversions

• BzrBuildpackage/DesignIdeas

• ?How to split a package into smaller packages

• Repackage_srcrpm - creating a proper Debian source package while referencing the src.rpm package

• Debug Package

• Creating package without some particular architectures - for easy porting

• Config Package

• DpkgConffileHandling - Gracefully Handling conffiles

• Editing Binary Package Metadata

• Software Packaging

• Sponsor Checklist

• How to package for Debian

• Package

• Automatic Packaging Tools

• DEX - improving Debian and its derivatives through cross-community teamwork

• Repacking - Collecting information about repacking

• AutomakeTransition

• PackageConfigUpgrade : propose a new way to smoothly handle configuration upgrades during package upgrades

• DataPackages

• Diagrams - packaging related diagrams and sketches

Training Sessions

From Debian Women

DebianWomen organise interesting training sessions.

External links

• http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/other-formats/html_single/Debian-Binary-Package-Building-HOWTO.html

• http://qref.sourceforge.net/Debian/reference/ch-package.en.html

• http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ and package apt-howto

• http://www.debian.org/devel/wnpp/prospective - requested packages, and packages being worked on.

• Debian Package Customization HOWTO

• What's in a debian/ directory - detailed worked example

• Managing Debian package files with cme

• Ubuntu Packaging Guide

See also:

• http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-debpkg.html : creating debian packages - high-level description of debian packaging .

• List_of_open-source_software_packages

• http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/336 Rolling your own debian packages.

• VCSPackaging

• Autobuilding non-free packages: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.debian.devel.announce/997

Wiki pages

All pages related to packaging in Debian:

CategoryPackaging | CategoryPortal