.DEB File Extension
Debian Software Package
| Developer | Debian Project |
| Popularity |
4.1 | 395 Votes |
| Category | Compressed Files |
| Format | Binary |
What is a DEB file?
A DEB file is a software package used by the Debian Linux distribution and its variants, such as Ubuntu. DEB files are used primarily to install or update Unix applications. Each DEB file is a standard Unix archive that contains two .TAR archives: one for installer control information and another for installable data.
Debian, Ubuntu, and other supported Linux distribution users install and manage DEB files using either the Debian package management system (dpkg) or APT package management software. Users can also decompress DEB files to view their contents prior to installation. The TAR archives that DEB files contain are commonly compressed using bzip or gzip compression.
What is the difference between DEB files and UDEB files?
Some Debian packages are available as .UDEB files, which are also known as udebs or "micro debs." UDEB files are structured similarly to DEB files, but they contain only the essential files a program needs to function.
How to open a DEB file
To install the software a DEB file contains in Debian, Ubuntu, or another supported Linux distribution, use the dpkg command. For example, to install a file named fileinfo.deb, enter dpkg -i /path/to/fileinfo.deb on the Linux command line.
iOS device users who have jailbroken their device can install the software a DEB file contains using Cydia (iOS) or iFunbox (Windows, Mac).
If you'd like to view a DEB file's contents without installing it, you can use 7-Zip (Windows), B1 Free Archiver (multiplatform), PeaZip (Windows, Linux), or another archive expansion utility to decompress your DEB file and extract its contents.
How to convert a DEB file
You can convert DEB files to the .RPM, .TGZ, and other Linux software package formats using Alien, a Linux package conversion tool.