Package format

 ( Package Management Systems ) 

Package format is a type of Archive file containing computer programs and additional metadata needed by ;Justin Angelo Cappos, Stork: Secure Package Management for VM Environments, ProQuest, 2008, p. 128; an instance of this type of archive is called a package. While the archive file format itself may be unchanged, package formats carry additional metadata, such as a manifest file or certain directory layouts. Packages may contain either source code or executable files.

Packages may be converted from one type to another with software such as Alien.

---

Software supply chain and security Packages are an important component in managing the security and integrity of the software supply chain. Packages containing executables and configuration can be digitally signed to establish the integrity of running software and protect against tampering.

Package formats that support code signing include .deb (Debian), .msi (Microsoft Windows), .apk (Android) and .ipa (IOS, IPadOS).

---

Common formats

---

Specialized formats

Adobe AIR	Adobe AIR
Bottle	Homebrew

---

BSD-based formats

.ipa	IOS, IPadOS
Ports collection (BSD)	pkgsrc, FreeBSD Ports, OpenBSD
PKG	macOS, iOS, PlayStation 3, Solaris, SunOS, UNIX System V, Symbian, BeOS, Apple Newton

---

Linux-based formats

AAB	Android
Apk-tools	Alpine Linux
APK (Android)	Android
AppImage	Linux distribution-agnostic
Deb	Debian and its derivatives, such as Raspberry Pi OS, Kali Linux, Ubuntu, and Linux Mint
ebuild	Gentoo Linux
eopkg	Solus
Nixpkg	Nix, NixOS, Home Manager
Portage	Gentoo Linux, ChromeOS
Flatpak	Linux distribution-agnostic
.app, .hap	HarmonyOS, OpenHarmony, Oniro OS and Linux based Unity Operating System
PISI	Pardus
.pkg.tar.zst	Arch Linux
PUP and PET	Puppy Linux (PUP format is deprecated since version 3.0)
RPM	Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora Linux, derivatives such as CentOS, and SUSE Linux Enterprise, openSUSE
Snap	Linux distribution-agnostic, mainly developed for Ubuntu

---

Windows formats

APPX and APPXBundle	Windows 8 and later, Windows Phone
Windows Installer package / MSI	Windows Installer on Microsoft Windows

---

Generic formats Arch Linux's Pacman and Slackware use 'tar' archives with generic naming but specific internal structures.

Post Comment