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Debian Unpack Deb Package | Guide

Debian packages are commonly known as .deb packages. They act as a standard method to distribute software across Debian and Debian-based Linux distributions.

While these packages are pre-configured for certain purposes, sometimes users need to customize them to suit their needs.

Today, we are going to take a closer look at how to modify .deb packages like adding fonts to an existing package.

Before we begin, make sure the `dpkg-deb` tool is installed on the Debian-based distribution. It’s usually included by default, but if not, we can install it via the `apt` package manager with the command:

sudo apt install dpkg

1. First, download the original .deb package we want to modify. For example, here we will use the `fonts-aenigma` package from the Ubuntu jammy repository.

   We can download it as seen here:

   mkdir deb
cd deb
wget -O 'fonts-aenigma-original.deb' \
'http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/universe/f/fonts-aenigma/fonts-aenigma_0.0.20080511+dfsg-4_all.deb'

2. Then, get the font we want to add to the package. For this example, we’ll add the Retroville Font by Typodermic Fonts as seen here:

   wget https:/https://www.1001freefonts.com/d/57514/retroville.zip

3. Now, unpack the .deb package via the `dpkg-deb` command with the `-R` (or `–raw-extract`) option. Remember to include the .deb filename and the target directory.

   For example:

   dpkg-deb -R fonts-aenigma-original.deb debdir
4. Then, extract the font files from the downloaded ZIP archive and place them in the correct directory in the unpacked .deb package structure. For example:

   7z x retroville.zip
5. Now, repackage the modified contents into a new .deb package via the `dpkg-deb` command with the `-b` (or `–build`) option:

   dpkg-deb -b debdir modified-fonts-aenigma.deb

Modifying Debian packages, such as adding fonts to .deb packages, is a straightforward process with basic command-line tools. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, we can unpack packages to suit your needs better, boosting the flexibility of your Debian-based system.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to unpack Deb Package in Debian.