dpkg-www(1)

📦
version 2.66 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💅 dpkg-www(1) — Debian Project edition 🎀

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, because today we're talking about dpkg-www — the program that remotely opens a WWW Debian package browser for you. No cap. ✨

🌈 SYNOPSIS

dpkg-www [-s|--stdout] [-h|--host host] [query]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🦋

👑 DESCRIPTION

So listen. dpkg-www exists to remotely control a web browser and open a dpkg URL on the localhost, straight from an interactive shell or a script. main character energy fr fr. 💖

If you run this command while you're chilling under the X Window System, the script will go looking for an installed X browser to open the URL you asked for. And if you're not under X? It tries a text browser instead. adaptive queen. 🧚

Now here's the cute part: if one of the known browsers is found and there's already an instance running, it politely asks that instance to open the dpkg URL on localhost with whatever optional query you handed it on the command line. And if there's no browser running yet? It just starts a brand new one automatically. self-sufficient. we love that. 🫶

The functionality this program gives you is identical to running a web browser with the -remote openURL(http://localhost/cgi-bin/dpkg) argument, or to just opening that same URL from inside the browser. iykyk. ⭐

Oh and real quick — dpkg-www-installer(8) is a helper application that can be configured in the WWW browser for web installation. It should never be invoked directly by the user. not ever. don't do it. that's a no for me. 💀

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -s, --stdout — Redirects output to stdout. ⚠️ Requires one of the text browsers (elinks, links2, links or w3m) to be installed. no browser, no output, sorry bestie.
  • -h, --host host — Sends the query to a remote host — and heads up, dpkg-www must be installed over there too. 🌸
  • query — Specifies an optional package name, an absolute pathname, or a query argument which is passed to the dpkg cgi-bin. Want the deets on how the CGI works? See dpkg-www(8). 👑

🎀 FILES

  • /etc/dpkg-www.conf
  • ~/.dpkg-www

those are the configuration files for dpkg-www. 💜

and here's the relaxing part: it is not necessary for these files to exist! there are sensible defaults for everything. but if you do want to pick your preferred www browser, you can set it with the DPKG_WWW_BROWSER variable. for example:

DPKG_WWW_BROWSER=firefox

slay. set it and forget it. 🦋

🔥 EXAMPLES

  • dpkg-www This would open a dpkg URL on localhost listing all the installed packages. the classic. 💅
  • dpkg-www bash This would open a dpkg URL asking info on the bash package. 👑
  • dpkg-www -h pisolo bash This would open a dpkg URL asking info on the bash package on host pisolo. long distance relationship, but make it packages. 📡
  • dpkg-www 'dpkg*' This would open a dpkg URL listing all packages matching dpkg*. wildcard queen. ✨
  • dpkg-www /bin/bash This would open a dpkg URL asking info on the package(s) owning the file /bin/bash. who's your owner? 🕵️
  • dpkg-www depends=coreutils This would open a dpkg URL listing all packages depending on coreutils. the dependents are coming out. 🫶
  • dpkg-www --stdout depends=awk | grep ^ii This would list on stdout all packages depending on awk and grep all lines of installed packages. pipe it, filter it, serve it. 🌈

💖 SEE ALSO

dpkg(1), dpkg-www(8).

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 this was written from version 2.66 of the manual, dated 2026-05-10, straight from the Debian Project themselves. periodt. 💅✨🦋

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