Lesson 74: dpkg Command
In this lesson, you'll learn how to use the dpkg command to install, remove, and manage .deb packages in Debian-based Linux distributions.
dpkg is the main package management program in Debian and Debian-based systems. It is used to install, build, remove, and manage packages. Aptitude is the primary front-end to dpkg.
dpkg Command Syntax
# dpkg [OPTIONS] [COMMAND]
dpkg Command Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-i |
Install a .deb package |
-l |
List all installed packages |
-r |
Remove a package (keeping configuration files) |
-p |
Purge a package (removing configuration files) |
-c |
View the contents of a .deb package |
-s |
Display the status of an installed package |
-L |
List the installation location of files in a package |
-R --install |
Recursively install all .deb packages from a directory |
--unpack |
Unpack a package without configuring it |
--configure |
Reconfigure an already unpacked package |
--update-avail |
Replace available package information |
--clear-avail |
Erase current information about available packages |
--forget-old-unavail |
Forget uninstalled and unavailable packages |
--licence |
Display the dpkg license |
--version |
Display dpkg version information |
--help |
Display help information |
Some of the most commonly used dpkg commands along with their usages are listed here.
1. Install a Package
For installing a .deb package, use the command with the -i option. For example, to install a .deb package called flashpluginnonfree_2.8.2+squeeze1_i386.deb, use the following command.
[root@tecmint~]# dpkg -i flashpluginnonfree_2.8.2+squeeze1_i386.deb
Selecting previously unselected package flashplugin-nonfree.
(Reading database ... 465729 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking flashplugin-nonfree (from flashplugin-nonfree_3.2_i386.deb) ...
Setting up flashplugin-nonfree (1:3.2) ...
--2013-10-01 16:23:40-- http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/pdc/11.2.202.310/install_flash_player_11_linux.i386.tar.gz
Resolving fpdownload.macromedia.com (fpdownload.macromedia.com)... 23.64.66.70
Connecting to fpdownload.macromedia.com (fpdownload.macromedia.com)|23.64.66.70|:80... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 6923724 (6.6M) [application/x-gzip]
Saving to: '/tmp/flashplugin-nonfree.FPxQ4l02fL/install_flash_player_11_linux.i386.tar.gz'
2. List All Installed Packages
To view and list all the installed packages, use the -l option along with the command.
[root@tecmint~]# dpkg -l
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-======================================-========================-===============================================================================
ii accerciser 3.8.0-0ubuntu1 all interactive Python accessibility explorer for the GNOME desktop
ii account-plugin-aim 3.6.4-0ubuntu4.1 i386 Messaging account plugin for AIM
ii account-plugin-facebook 0.10bzr13.03.26-0ubuntu1 i386 GNOME Control Center account plugin for single signon - facebook
ii account-plugin-flickr 0.10bzr13.03.26-0ubuntu1 i386 GNOME Control Center account plugin for single signon - flickr
ii account-plugin-generic-oauth 0.10bzr13.03.26-0ubuntu1 i386 GNOME Control Center account plugin for single signon - generic OAuth
ii account-plugin-google 0.10bzr13.03.26-0ubuntu1 i386 GNOME Control Center account plugin for single signon
rc account-plugin-identica 0.10bzr13.03.26-0ubuntu1 i386 GNOME Control Center account plugin for single signon - identica
ii account-plugin-jabber 3.6.4-0ubuntu4.1 i386 Messaging account plugin for Jabber/XMPP
....
To view whether a specific package is installed or not, use the -l option along with the package name. For example, check whether the apache2 package is installed or not.