deb-prerm(5)

📦
version 1.23.11 · 19 versions
, in arch rolling

💅 deb-prerm(5) — dpkg suite, bestie edition 💅

Okay so welcome to deb-prerm(5) from the dpkg suite — this is the page about the package pre-removal maintainer script, and it's honestly iconic for such a tiny filename. 🎀

🎀 NAME 🎀

deb-prerm — package pre-removal maintainer script. That's the whole vibe: before removal stuff happens, this script is the main character. ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

DEBIAN/prerm

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

A package can perform several pre-removal actions via maintainer scripts, by including an executable prerm file in its control archive — i.e. DEBIAN/prerm during package creation. 🫶

The script can be called in the following ways:

  • prerm remove Before the package is removed.
  • old-prerm upgrade new-version Before an upgrade.
  • new-prerm failed-upgrade old-version new-version If the above upgrade fails.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5. 👑

  • prerm deconfigure in-favour new-package new-version [ removing old-package old-version ] Before package is deconfigured while dependency is replaced due to conflict.
  • prerm remove in-favour new-package new-version Before the package is replaced due to conflict. 💥

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

  • dpkg(1) — yes bestie, go read that one too. 📖💖

That's the whole page, no cap. This lil' manual page is from the dpkg suite, version 1.23.11-dirty, dated 2026-09-09 — mwah, slay, periodt. 💋🦋

📦 where this page comes from