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How to Install and Use Dpkg on Debian 10
Okay… so you want to install and use Dpkg on Debian 10. No worries 😄
Uh… dpkg basically runs your ‘.deb’ files. Wanna add something new? Easy. Need to remove something? Done. Just peek at what’s installed? Yup, you can do that too.
At first, it feels a bit weird because everything happens in the terminal. Don’t worry, after a couple tries, it actually gets really easy. Feels a little like magic, honestly.
When I first tried installing IceWM on my Debian VPS, I accidentally ran the command in the wrong folder… but dpkg saved me. You’ll see how easy it gets once you try it a couple of times.
And hey, if you don’t want to risk your main system, spin up a Linux VPS on Eldernode. You can experiment freely, break stuff if you need to, and learn without worrying.
Before You Start
Okay… before we start, make sure you’re in the right folder when running dpkg, otherwise, you’ll hit errors. Trust me, I’ve been there! 😅
Also, you need a user with sudo. Don’t do everything as root, it’s risky.
If you don’t have one yet, just need a run:
adduser newuser usermod -aG sudo newuser
Next, you need a Debian 10 system. Laptop, desktop, VPS… whatever works. Just have something to try stuff on.
And… yeah, know your way around the terminal a little. You don’t have to be a pro, but being able to type commands and move between folders is key.
If your system is fresh, run a quick update first:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y
Now you’re ready. Go ahead and dive into dpkg!
How to See What’s Installed
Wanna see what’s already installed? Open a terminal and type:
dpkg --list
Easy way to make sure you don’t accidentally install duplicates or break something.
How to Install a .deb Package Using Dpkg
Okay… so you’ve got this .deb file, and you just wanna get it running. First thing, open your terminal. Then type something like:
sudo dpkg -i package-name.deb
Uh… if you’re not in the folder where the file is, you gotta give the full path, like:
sudo dpkg -i /home/you/Downloads/package-name.deb
Uh… dpkg doesn’t automatically grab dependencies. If it complains, just run:
sudo apt -f install
Boom, problem solved.
Heads up: dpkg doesn’t install dependencies automatically. If it complains, just run ‘sudo apt -f install’. Trust me, this will prevent a lot of headaches.
How to Check if a Package Is Installed on Debain
Want to make sure your package actually got installed? Easy. Open the terminal and type:
dpkg -s package-name
This shows if your package is installed correctly. Super handy to double-check before you move on.
How to Remove an Installed Package
If you want to get rid of a package, dpkg makes it simple. First, find the exact package name by running:
dpkg -l | grep keyword
Replace keyword with part of the package name, for example, for Skype:
dpkg -l | grep skype
Now that you’ve got the name, remove it like this:
sudo dpkg -r package-name
So for Skype, it would be:
sudo dpkg -r skypeforlinux
Tip: You can just type the installed package name; no need for the full .deb filename.
How to Use dpkg manually
Alright… so you’ve got a .deb file and just wanna get it running. Here’s what you do:
sudo dpkg -i icewm_0.8.12-1.deb
That’s it. If there’s an older version, dpkg just upgrades it, no stress.
Later, if you wanna remove it:
sudo dpkg -r icewm
Heads up: ‘-r’ leaves config files. Wanna start fresh? Run:
sudo dpkg --purge icewm
Boom! Everything’s gone. Clean slate. Now you can reinstall without leftovers.
Conclusion
Okay… so you did it. You can now install and use Dpkg on Debian 10. Check what’s installed, toss out what you don’t need, or fix stuff if it breaks. Easy.
Honestly? Dpkg is pure magic. Even if your system is acting up, won’t boot, no network, dpkg still gets the job done. Low-level, yes, but that’s why it actually works when nothing else does.
Mess around a bit, and you’ll see… it’s not scary. You’ll actually feel like you know your system.
