Instead, you’ll have to use apt if you want these features.

Sadly, dpkg doesn’t work with repositories nor does it resolve dependency problems. To see the package version, architecture, and the short description, run: dpkg-query -l If you want to see information about a deb package, type the following command in your terminal (and replace the ‘deb_file’ with the name of the deb file you want to analyze): dpkg -info 'deb_file' The dpkg database contains a list of the installed software on the system. Something that’s low-level means it’s more computer friendly and readable whereas something that’s higher level is easier for humans to read and use. Sometimes, other higher-level infrastructure like apt will call on dpkg. What’s DPKG?ĭpkg stands for Debian Package Manager, and it provides the low-level infrastructure for package manager. There are 2 different ways you can install deb files: apt or dpkg. Another archive that contains the application files.An archive that contains metadata information, the version, and the dependencies.Simply put, it’s a collection of code that can be executed in a Debian system. A deb file an archive that contains other files including the executable application that was already compiled. A binary package is an easier way to install and run the desired applications compared to the compiling source code.ĭeb is the installation package format used by all Debian based distributions, which includes Raspberry Pi OS (operating system).

The executables are the outcomes of the compilation process. The source file of the application are usually provided to us and in order to run it on our platform, we have to either compile the sources or install it from a binary packageĪ binary package is an application package which contains executables, as opposed to source code. Most application on linux are open source.

Moreover, I’ll go over solutions to 4 common mistakes you might make when performing these steps.īut first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page and define: What’s A Deb File? The rest of this article will dive deeper into each step. Installing it with either the apt or dpkg command.Choosing a deb file that supports your Raspberry Pi OS architecture.

Install deb file