XBPS-PKGDB(1)

💖 XBPS-PKGDB(1) — the glow-up manual 💖

okay bestie, so this is xbps-pkgdb, and it lives in the General Commands Manual section (section 1, iykyk). she's the XBPS utility that checks/fixes issues and mods the package database (aka pkgdb), and honestly? she's iconic for it. 💅

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✨ NAME ✨

xbps-pkgdb — the XBPS utility that reports/fixes issues and modifies the package database (pkgdb). no cap, that's her whole thing.

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

xbps-pkgdb [OPTIONS] [PKGNAME...]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so xbps-pkgdb can check/fix issues and modify the package database (pkgdb). she's lowkey multi-talented: she can check for missing dependencies, modified files and symlinks, alternatives, and like all the other errors that got fixed in newer versions of xbps. there's also a mode to update the format to the latest version. very main character energy. ✨

this is the list of things she currently does, bestie:

🎀 METADATA CHECK 🎀

checks that the package metadata files have not been modified — she compares the original hash (recorded back when the package was installed) against the current one. vibe check on your hashes, basically.

🍓 FILES CHECK 🍓

checks that all files belonging to a package haven't been modified and aren't missing. for regular files, she compares and checks its modification time and the SHA256 hash and sees if they differ. for symbolic links, she checks that the target file hasn't been modified. she's thorough like that.

💜 DEPENDENCIES CHECK 💜

checks that all required dependencies for a package are resolved. no orphaned vibes allowed.

🌈 ALTERNATIVES CHECK 🌈

checks that all alternatives symlinks for set alternatives groups are correct. symmetry is everything, periodt.

🧚 OBSOLETE METADATA CHECK 🧚

checks that the package database doesn't contain obsolete data from previous XBPS versions — and removes them if found. she cleans up, she's organized, we love her for it.

⭐ FORMAT CONVERSION ⭐

updates the pkgdb format to the latest version. she stays fresh.

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👑 OPTIONS 👑

• -a, --all — processes all registered packages, regardless of its state. everyone gets a turn, no favorites.
• --checks checks — run only the checks specified in checks, a comma separated list. the available checks are files, dependencies, alternatives and pkgdb, for internal checks. pick your fighters.
• -C, --config dir — specifies a path to the XBPS configuration directory. if the first character is not / then it's a relative path of rootdir. just so you know.
• -d, --debug — enables extra debugging shown to stderr. for when you need to see the receipts.
• -h, --help — show the help message. the classic.
• -m, --mode auto|manual|hold|unhold|repolock|repounlock — the mode selector, she contains multitudes:
  • auto, manual — auto marks each PKGNAME as automatic, as if it was installed implicitly as a dependency of another package. manual marks each PKGNAME as if it was installed explicitly as an operand to xbps-install(1). automatic packages are considered for removal by xbps-remove --remove-orphans; see also --list-manual-pkgs, --list-orphans in xbps-query(1). so basically: was it a main character install or a sidekick install?
  • hold, unhold — set or unset the hold mode for each PKGNAME. xbps-install -u does not update packages on hold; see also --list-hold-pkgs in xbps-query(1). on hold = do not disturb. 🙈
  • repolock, repounlock — set or unset the repolock mode for each PKGNAME. a package in repolock mode will only accept updates that are available in the same repository that was used for installing. see also --list-repolock-pkgs in xbps-query(1). she's loyal to her repo, fr fr.
• -r, --rootdir dir — specifies a full path for the target root directory.
• -u, --update — updates the pkgdb format to the latest version making the necessary conversions automatically. usually this is needed only in rare circumstances — so don't just do it for fun, bestie.
• -v, --verbose — enables verbose messages. she'll tell you everything.
• -V, --version — show the version information. 🫶

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🎀 FILES 🎀

• /etc/xbps.d — default configuration directory.
• /usr/share/xbps.d — default system configuration directory.
• /var/db/xbps/.<pkgname>-files.plist — package files metadata.
• /var/db/xbps/pkgdb-0.38.plist — default package database (0.38 format). keeps track of installed packages and properties.
• /var/cache/xbps — default cache directory to store downloaded binary packages.

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💅 SEE ALSO 💅

xbps-alternatives(1), xbps-checkvers(1), xbps-create(1), xbps-dgraph(1), xbps-digest(1), xbps-fbulk(1), xbps-fetch(1), xbps-install(1), xbps-query(1), xbps-reconfigure(1), xbps-remove(1), xbps-rindex(1), xbps-uchroot(1), xbps-uunshare(1), xbps.d(5) — the whole friend group, go say hi.

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💜 AUTHORS 💜

• Juan Romero Pardines <xtraeme@gmail.com>
• Duncan Overbruck <mail@duncano.de>

absolute legends, we stan. 👑

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💀 BUGS 💀

probably, but I try to make this not happen. use it under your own responsibility and enjoy your life. (their words, not mine, but honestly? iconic energy.)

report bugs at https://github.com/void-linux/xbps/issues — the devs wanna know, bestie.

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so yeah, that's the whole page 🦋 this came from the Debian source, dated Feb 9, 2023, and it's the XBPS-PKGDB(1) manual page. go forth and check those package databases, you've got this 💖✨🎀