dpkg-buildapi(1)

📦
version 1.23.11 · 18 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 NAME

dpkg-buildapi — returns the build API level to use during package build. This is the dpkg-buildapi(1) page from the dpkg suite, and it's literally here to hand you that build API level for source Debian package builds. slay ✨

✨ SYNOPSIS

dpkg-buildapi [option...] [command]

🌸 DESCRIPTION

okay so dpkg-buildapi is a tool to retrieve the dpkg-build-api(7) level to use during build of source Debian packages. That's the whole job, bestie. It was introduced in dpkg 1.22.0 — noted, iconic behavior 💅.

🎀 COMMANDS

  • --help — shows the usage message and exits. Bye 👋
  • --version — shows the version and exits. Also bye 💖

🦋 OPTIONS

  • -ccontrol-file — specifies the main source control file to read information from. The default is debian/control. Yes, that's the exact spelling: -ccontrol-file 🧚.

💖 ENVIRONMENT

  • DPKG_BUILD_API — the build API level to use. It's intended to be used internally by the tools executed from debian/rules, so they don't have to parse debian/control multiple times. It is not intended to set the global build API level from debian/rules, because then build drivers (such as dpkg-buildpackage(1)) cannot access it.
⚠️ caveat time, bestie: DPKG_BUILD_API is for internal use by tools executed from debian/rules so they avoid parsing debian/control multiple times — do not use it to set the global build API level from debian/rules, otherwise build drivers (such as dpkg-buildpackage(1)) cannot access it. periodt.
  • DPKG_COLORS — sets the color mode. The currently accepted values are auto (default), always, and never. color me obsessed 🌈.
  • DPKG_NLS — if set, it will be used to decide whether to activate Native Language Support, also known as internationalization (or i18n) support. The accepted values are 0 and 1 (default). i18n girlies rise 🫶.

🧚 FILES

📦 Packaging support

  • /usr/share/dpkg/buildapi.mk — a Makefile snippet that parses the build API level into a variable. Makefile girlies, this one's for you 💅.

okay that's the whole page, bestie 💖 — source/version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09, for dpkg-buildapi(1). periodt ✨

📦 where this page comes from