Debbug...Archive(3pm)

💖 NAME 💖

Debbugs::DebArchive — bestie, this is the toolbox for reading files from Debian archives ✨ (it's a Perl module, manual section 3pm, from the User Contributed Perl Documentation girlies)

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

okay so like, this is the vibe:

use Debbugs::DebArchive;

read_packages('/srv/mirrors/ftp.debian.org/ftp/dist',
              sub { print map {qq($_\n)} @_ },
              Term::ProgressBar->new(),
             );

look at her go 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So basically this module is a whole set of routines for reading Packages.gz, Sources.gz and Release files — but only from the dists directory of a Debian archive, okay? that's the whole thing. that's the girl. 🎀

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💜 BUGS 💜

None known. 🫶

not a single one?? we love a flawless queen. no cap.

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✨ read_release_file ✨

read_release_file('stable/Release')

This one reads a Debian release file and hands you back a hashref of info about that release file — including the Packages and Sources files for that distribution. the way that it just... gives you everything 😭👑

🍓 read_packages 🍓

read_packages($dist_dir,$callback,$progress)

💫 dist_dir

Path to the dists directory. that's it, that's the whole description. periodt.

💫 callback

A function which gets called with key, value pairs of suite, arch, component, Package, Source, Version, and Maintainer information — for each and every package in the Packages file. so she's thorough, she's detail oriented, she ate 💅

💫 progress

Optional. It's a Term::ProgressBar object you can pass in to output progress while reading packages. lowkey so satisfying to watch it fill up fr fr 🔥

side note bestie: progress is optional, so if you don't want the little bar, you can absolutely just not pass one. main character energy either way 💖

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🌈 and that's the whole page 🌈

signing off with the official credentials, because we keep receipts: this is perl v5.40.1, dated 2026-04-27, and it lives in the User Contributed Perl Documentation for Debbugs::DebArchive (section 3pm). mwah 💋 ✨🦋🌸