deb-postrm(5)

📦
version 1.23.11 · 19 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 deb-postrm(5) — package post-removal maintainer script 💅

Ok so bestie, this is the manual page for deb-postrm(5): the whole vibe of what a package's post-removal maintainer script can do. It’s giving “cleanup era” and honestly? Iconic.

🎀 NAME 🎀

deb-postrm — package post-removal maintainer script

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

DEBIAN/postrm

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

A package can perform several post-removal actions via maintainer scripts, bestie. The way it does that is by including an executable postrm file in its control archive (i.e. DEBIAN/postrm during package creation). No cap, that’s the whole setup.

The script can be called in the following ways:

  • postrm remove — after the package was removed. Cleanup arc activated. ✨
  • postrm purge — after the package was purged. Full delete energy. 💅
  • old-postrm upgrade new-version — after the package was upgraded.
  • new-postrm failed-upgrade old-version new-version — if the above upgrade call fails. Also, support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.
  • postrm disappear overwriter-package overwriter-version — after all of the packages files have been replaced.
  • new-postrm abort-install — if preinst fails during install.
  • new-postrm abort-install old-version new-version — if preinst fails during install for an upgrade of a removed package. Also, support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.
  • new-postrm abort-upgrade old-version new-version — if preinst fails during upgrade. Also, support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

  • dpkg(1) — go read that too, bestie.
🫶 cute sign-off: this page is from the dpkg suite, version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09. That’s the tea. 💖
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