deb is the extension of the Debian binary package format. Software packaged for Debian or Debian derivatives such as Ubuntu is distributed in this format.
Description
.deb is the extension of the Debian binary package format. Software packaged for Debian or Debian derivatives such as Ubuntu is distributed in this format. Packages of this type are often referred to as "debs".
A related format known as "source debs" usually consists of multiple files: a .dsc file listing each of the other files in the source with cryptographic hashes, a tarball of some sort (.tar.gz, .tar.bz2, etc.), and sometimes additional files such as diffs.
Debs are typically manipulated using the dpkg family of tools. dpkg-deb, in particular, is responsible for creating, unpacking, and querying .deb files. The dpkg package management tool is used to install, uninstall, and configure deb-packaged software onto Debian-based systems. Source reps are packed and unpacked using dpkg-source. Numerous front-end tools with additional capabilities in the Apt family (apt-get, Aptitude, Synaptic, etc) offer additional facilities, including repository management and dependency resolution.
Software packaged in debs is generally firmly expected to conform to Debian Policy, or the policy of the appropriate Debian derivative. Authoring well-behaved packages which meet all of these requirements can be tricky, so several tools exist to make deb creation easier or verify compliance with policies. debhelper (or "dh") and cdbs are probably the most commonly used.
The [deb] tag should be applied to discussions about authoring or working with debs, not for general questions related to Debian.
