Tools to help with the packaging process. For more information about packaging, see Packaging. For tools to create basic Debian packages, see AutomaticPackagingTools.

Contents

Package maintenance tools
Package build tools
Debian repository build tools
Tools to create a build system
1. Wrappers
See also

Package maintenance tools

Tools to manage the overall process of packaging software.

git-buildpackage
- for use with git repositories
- Features
  - Language: Python
git-dpm
- Features
  - Language: shell
gitpkg
- Features
  - Language: shell
svn-buildpackage
- for use with Subversion repositories
- Features
  - Language: Perl
cvs-buildpackage
- for use with CVS repositories
- removed in trixie
- Features
  - Language: Perl
brz-debian
- for use with Breezy repositories
- Features
  - Language: Python
darcs-buildpackage
- for use with Darcs repositories
- Features
  - Language: C

Automatic packaging tools

Tools to create basic working Debian packages.

See AutomaticPackagingTools.

Automatic debian/copyright tools

Tools to maintain copyright information in debian/copyright.

See CopyrightReviewTools.

Package-checking tools

Tools to ensure your package conforms to various requirements and guidelines.

adequate
- checks installed packages for bugs and policy violations
- may be useful as an autopkgtest
- Features
  - Language: Perl
blhc
- find missing hardening tags in complex build systems
- Features
  - Language: Perl
autopkgtest
- tests binary packages as specified by their source packages
- Features
  - Language: Python
lintian
- reports bugs and policy violations
- Features
  - Language: Perl
piuparts
- checks packages handle installation, upgrading, and removal correctly
- Features
  - Language: Python
ratt
- rebuilds reverse-build-dependencies of a .changes file
  - e.g. check whether your new library version breaks any existing packages
- Features
  - Language: C

Package build tools

Tools to build .deb packages from Debian-formatted sources.

sbuild
- used by official buildds
- chroot/unshare/schroot for isolation
- calls autopkgtest, which uses schroot/lxc/chroot/qemu/ssh for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Perl
pbuilder
- chroot for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
cowbuilder
- chroot for isolation
- cowdancer via LD_PRELOAD for copy-on-write
- Features
  - Language: C
qemubuilder
- qemu for isolation
- Features
  - Language: C
debspawn
- systemd-nspawn for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Python
conbuilder
- systemd-nspawn for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Python
whalebuilder (package)
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Ruby
whalebuilder (script)
- docker for isolation
- not related to whalebuilder
- Features
  - Language: Shell
docker-buildpackage
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
debocker
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Python
debdocker
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
deb-build-pkg
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
DUE
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
rocm-builder
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Bash
docker-deb-builder
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Shell
debpic
- docker for isolation
- integrates with Jenkins & VSCode
- Features
  - Language: Python
Debcraft
- podman and docker for isolation
- all steps automated, easiest to use
- Features
  - Language: shell
bampkgbuild
- docker for isolation
- Features
  - Language: Python

Debian repository build tools

Tools to maintain APT-compatible repositories of packages.

See DebianRepository/Setup

Tools to create a build system

Tools to create minimal Debian systems for building packages.

debootstrap
- works on systems without apt, used in d-i
- Features
  - Language: shell, Perl
  - Formats: directory
cdebootstrap
- Features
  - Formats: directory
mmdebstrap
- no superuser privileges required
- multiple mirrors possible
- stable includes security mirrors by default
- twice as fast as debootstrap
- chroots with only Essential:yes or without apt possible
- bit-by-bit reproducible with SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH set
- foreign architecture chroots supported
- Features
  - Language: Perl, Python
  - Formats: directory, tarball, ext2, squashfs, null
sbuild-createchroot
- deprecated - use mmdebstrap instead
zdebootstrap
- research project for fast install bootstrap through parallelism
- Features
  - Language: C++
  - Formats: directory
crosshurd
- Features
  - Formats: directory
rinse
- only for rpm packages
- build rpm distro chroot on Debian
- Features
  - Language: Perl
  - Formats: directory
fai-server
- fai dirinstall creates a chroot
- Features
  - Language: shell, Perl
  - Formats: directory

Wrappers

Specialisations of the above tools.

vmdb2
- vmdebootstrap successor
- Features
  - Language: python, configuration specified in yaml
  - Read-only/Writable: read/write
  - Formats: raw
qemu-debootstrap
- little shell wrapper around debootstrap
- supports multiple architectures via qemu-user
- Features
  - Language: shell
  - Formats: directory
DQIB
- wrapper around mmdebstrap
- Features
  - Language: shell
  - Formats: ZIP file containing rootfs, kernel, initrd
bdebstrap
- wrapper around mmdebstrap for YAML configuration
- Features
  - Language: Python
deb-bpo-builder
- wrapper around mmdebstrap
- targeted at building Debian testing → stable backports
- Features
  - Language: shell
debuerreotype
- wrapper around debootstrap
- reproducible rootfs builds (especially for application containers)
- Features
  - Language: Bash
grml-debootstrap
- wrapper around mmdebstrap
- Features
  - Language: Bash

PackagingTools