dpkg
The facts below are what the maker publishes about dpkg, checked and dated. Our editors have not written about it yet.
Plans and prices
From dpkg's own pricing page, checked 12 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| dpkg | Free | Free software · Debian package manager · No commercial plans listed |
The facts
Each one read from dpkg's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- The Debian Wiki describes dpkg as low-level infrastructure for installing and removing Debian software packages.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Audit
- dpkg --audit checks package database consistency and looks for partially installed packages or missing, wrong, or obsolete control data or files.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Caution
- The manual warns that force options are mainly for experts and can break the system if used without understanding their effects.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Dependency handling
- dpkg checks dependencies and refuses installation when dependencies are unmet, but it does not find or install those dependencies.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Dependency resolution
- Nochecked 21 Sep 2026
- Higher-level front ends
- The Debian Wiki names aptitude, apt-get, and dselect as higher-level tools that can handle dependency installation.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Integrity check
- dpkg --verify checks installed files against stored metadata and currently performs an MD5 checksum comparison when that metadata is present.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Offline installation
- Yeschecked 21 Sep 2026
- Package archive tools
- dpkg-deb can read package control information, extract files, and build Debian binary packages.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Package formats
- .debchecked 21 Sep 2026
- Package operations
- dpkg installs, builds, removes, and manages Debian packages.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Package queries
- The dpkg suite includes dpkg-query for showing information about packages in the dpkg database.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Package state tracking
- dpkg tracks package states including unpacked, installed, and awaiting trigger processing.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- dpkg is a medium-level package manager for Debian.checked 12 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Linux security support
- On Linux, dpkg's security-mac force option uses SELinux for mandatory access control when installing files.checked 12 Oct 2026
- Supported platforms
- Linuxchecked 21 Sep 2026
