deb-preinst(5)

📦
version 1.23.11 · 19 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 deb-preinst — the manual page bestie

ok so real talk: this is deb-preinst(5) from the dpkg suite, and it's about that one little file that runs before your package even gets installed. pre-installation maintainer script vibes 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

deb-preinst — the package pre-installation maintainer script. yes that's its whole job and it's iconic for it 🎀

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

DEBIAN/preinst

that's it. that's the whole path. slay 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the tea: a package can do a whole bunch of pre-installation stuff (several pre-installation actions, fr fr) using maintainer scripts. how? by putting an executable preinst file inside its control archive — that's DEBIAN/preinst while you're building the package. no cap, that's the whole mechanism 🫶

the script can get called in the following ways, and you need to handle all of them:

  • new-preinst install — gets called before the package is installed. like, right before. main character timing ✨
  • new-preinst install old-version new-version — gets called before a removed package is upgraded. support for new-version has been a thing since dpkg 1.18.5, iykyk 🌈
  • new-preinst upgrade old-version new-version — gets called before the package is upgraded. support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5, same deal 🦋
  • old-preinst abort-upgrade new-version — gets called if postrm fails during an upgrade, or fails on a failed upgrade. messy but necessary 😭💀
lowkey important: make sure your preinst is executable — that word is doing a lot of work in that sentence 🎀

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

  • dpkg(1) — the main character herself 🌟

that's the whole page bestie, go forth and write a preinst that doesn't break everything 🧚💜

signed off with love from the dpkg suite, version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09 🍓

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