Debian Packaging

Modern Debian packaging expert focused on git-buildpackage workflows, clean builds (sbuild/pbuilder), quality assurance (lintian/piuparts), and patch management (quilt/gbp-pq). Follows current best practices with debhelper 13+ and Debian Policy compliance.

Core Principles

1. Version control first - Always use git-buildpackage for reproducible builds
2. Policy compliance - Follow Debian Policy strictly
3. Clean builds - Test in isolated chroots (sbuild/pbuilder), never build as root
4. Quality gates - Run lintian (no errors), piuparts, and autopkgtest before upload
5. Patch documentation - All patches need DEP-3 headers explaining what/why
6. Pristine upstream - Keep upstream sources unmodified, use debian/patches/ for changes

Git-Buildpackage Configuration

~/.gbp.conf (essential setup):

[DEFAULT]
pristine-tar = True
pristine-tar-commit = True
upstream-branch = upstream/latest
debian-branch = debian/latest
pbuilder = True  # or builder = sbuild
sign-tags = True  # optional
keyid = YOUR_GPG_KEY_ID  # optional

debian/gbp.conf (project-specific):

[DEFAULT]
upstream-tag = v%(version)s  # adjust to match upstream's tag pattern

Importing Upstream Sources

From tarballs:

# Initialize repo
git init --initial-branch=debian/latest mypackage.git
cd mypackage.git

# Import upstream tarball
gbp import-orig /path/to/mypackage-1.0.tar.gz

# Create debian/watch for auto-updates
# See: https://manpages.debian.org/man/uscan

From git repository:

# Clone upstream
git clone https://upstream.example.com/mypackage.git
cd mypackage.git

# Rename to debian branch
git branch -m debian/latest

# Configure upstream tag pattern in debian/gbp.conf

Update to new version:

# With debian/watch configured:
gbp import-orig --uscan

# Or specify tarball directly:
gbp import-orig ../mypackage-1.1.tar.gz

Branch Structure (DEP-14)

• debian/latest - Main packaging branch
• upstream/latest - Upstream source history
• pristine-tar - Binary delta for exact tarball reproduction
• patch-queue/debian/latest - Temporary branch for patch development (gbp pq)

Essential debian/ Files

debian/control - Package metadata

• Source section: name, maintainer, build dependencies, standards version
• Binary section(s): name, dependencies, description, architecture
• Use ${shlibs:Depends} and ${misc:Depends} for automatic dependencies

debian/rules - Build instructions (executable)

#!/usr/bin/make -f
export DEB_BUILD_MAINT_OPTIONS = hardening=+all

%:
	dh $@

# Override only when needed:
#override_dh_auto_install:
#	dh_auto_install -- --with-custom-option

debian/changelog - Version history (RFC 5322 format)

• Managed with dch command
• Version format: epoch:upstream-debian (e.g., 1.2.3-1)
• Generate from git: gbp dch --auto

debian/copyright - License information (DEP-5 machine-readable format)

• Use copyright review tools: licensecheck -r .

debian/source/format - Source package format

• 3.0 (quilt) for non-native packages (has upstream + Debian changes)
• 3.0 (native) for Debian-only packages (rare)

debian/watch - Upstream version tracking

• For auto-detection with gbp import-orig --uscan
• Examples: https://manpages.debian.org/man/uscan#WATCH_FILE_EXAMPLES

Common debian/ Files

• debian/compat or debhelper-compat - Debhelper compatibility level (use 13+)
• debian/install - Files to install when dh_auto_install is insufficient
• debian/patches/ - Quilt patch series with DEP-3 headers
• debian/tests/ - autopkgtest integration tests

Clean Build Setup

sbuild (recommended, used by official buildds):

sudo apt install sbuild
sudo sbuild-adduser $LOGNAME
# Logout and re-login

# Create chroot
sudo sbuild-createchroot --include=eatmydata,ccache,gnupg unstable \
    /srv/chroot/unstable-amd64-sbuild http://deb.debian.org/debian

# Build package
sbuild -A -d unstable

pbuilder (alternative):

sudo apt install pbuilder
sudo pbuilder create --distribution unstable
gbp buildpackage  # uses pbuilder if pbuilder=True in ~/.gbp.conf

Git-Buildpackage Workflow

Daily development:

# Edit sources and debian/ files
git add .
git commit -m "Description of changes"

# Update changelog
dch -i  # or: gbp dch --auto

# Build and test
gbp buildpackage --git-pbuilder

Managing patches (quilt):

# Apply patches
quilt push -a

# Create new patch
quilt new fix-something.patch
quilt edit file.c
quilt refresh
quilt header -e  # Add DEP-3 header

# Unapply before committing
quilt pop -a
git add debian/patches/
git commit

Managing patches (gbp pq):

# Import patches to patch-queue branch
gbp pq import

# Make changes and commit
git commit -a -m "Fix something"

# Export back to debian/patches/
gbp pq export

# Commit exported patches
git add debian/patches/
git commit

DEP-3 Patch Headers

Required in all patches:

Description: One-line summary
 Longer explanation of what this patch does and why.
Author: Your Name <you@example.com>
Origin: vendor|upstream|other
Bug: https://bugs.upstream.example.com/123
Bug-Debian: https://bugs.debian.org/123456
Forwarded: yes|no|not-needed|https://url
Last-Update: 2025-01-15
---

Quality Assurance

lintian - Policy compliance checker:

# Comprehensive check
lintian -EvIL +pedantic ../mypackage_*.changes

# Fix all errors (E:), investigate warnings (W:)

piuparts - Install/remove testing:

sudo piuparts --log-level info \
    --basetgz /var/cache/pbuilder/base.tgz \
    ../mypackage_*.deb

autopkgtest - Integration testing:

# Define tests in debian/tests/control
# Run with:
autopkgtest ../mypackage_*.changes -- unshare

wrap-and-sort - Consistent formatting:

wrap-and-sort -ast  # Sort and wrap debian/control and other files

Common Workflows

New package from scratch

# 1. Get upstream source and create git repo
git init --initial-branch=debian/latest mypackage.git
cd mypackage.git
gbp import-orig /path/to/mypackage-1.0.tar.gz

# 2. Initialize debian/ directory
git archive HEAD --prefix=mypackage-1.0/ -o ../mypackage_1.0.orig.tar.gz
tar xzf ../mypackage_1.0.orig.tar.gz && cd mypackage-1.0
debmake  # or dh_make
mv debian/* ../debian/
cd .. && rm -rf mypackage-1.0

# 3. Edit debian/ files (control, rules, copyright, changelog, watch)

# 4. Build and test
gbp buildpackage
lintian -EvIL +pedantic ../mypackage_*.changes

Update to new upstream version

# With debian/watch:
gbp import-orig --uscan

# Or with tarball:
gbp import-orig ../mypackage-1.1.tar.gz

# Update changelog
dch -v 1.1-1 "New upstream release"

# Refresh patches if needed
gbp pq rebase

# Build and test
gbp buildpackage

Fix bug with patch

# Option 1: quilt
quilt new fix-bug-123.patch
quilt edit src/file.c
quilt refresh
quilt header -e  # Add DEP-3 header
quilt pop -a

# Option 2: gbp pq
gbp pq import
# Make changes and commit with good message
gbp pq export

# Update changelog
dch -i
# Add entry: "* Fix bug #123 (Closes: #123)"

# Build and test
gbp buildpackage

Prepare for upload

# 1. Ensure changelog is correct
dch -r  # Change UNRELEASED to unstable/experimental

# 2. Commit changelog
git commit debian/changelog -m "Release X.Y-Z"

# 3. Build with tagging
gbp buildpackage --git-tag

# 4. Push to Salsa
git push --all --follow-tags

Version Numbering

Format: [epoch:]upstream-debian

Examples:

• 1.2.3-1 - First Debian package of upstream 1.2.3
• 1.2.3-2 - Second Debian revision (bug fixes, no upstream changes)
• 1:1.0-1 - With epoch (when upstream versioning changed)
• 1.2.3-1~bpo12+1 - Backport to bookworm
• 1.2.3-1+deb12u1 - Security update for stable

Native packages:

• Version: 1.2.3 (no Debian revision)
• Only for Debian-specific tools

Build Commands

# Standard build
gbp buildpackage

# Build for specific distribution/architecture
gbp buildpackage --git-dist=bookworm --git-arch=arm64

# Build without tagging
gbp buildpackage --git-ignore-new

# Generate source-only upload
gbp buildpackage --git-builder='dpkg-buildpackage -S'

Anti-patterns

Never do:

• Build as root or outside clean chroot
• Skip lintian checks or ignore errors
• Edit upstream source without documenting in debian/patches/
• Commit with UNRELEASED in changelog before tagging
• Use debhelper compat < 13
• Mix unrelated changes in single changelog entry
• Hardcode paths or architecture names in debian/rules
• Modify files without quilt/gbp-pq tracking
• Push to Salsa with failing tests
• Upload without testing in clean environment

Always do:

• Run lintian, piuparts before every upload
• Document patches with complete DEP-3 headers
• Use ${shlibs:Depends} and ${misc:Depends} in debian/control
• Test package install/remove in clean chroot
• Follow DEP-14 branch naming (upstream/latest, debian/latest)
• Use pristine-tar for reproducibility
• Keep git history clean and commits atomic

Troubleshooting

lintian errors:

• Read error description carefully
• Check Debian Policy Manual section referenced
• Look at well-maintained similar packages for examples

Build failures:

• Check build log in ../build-area/ or /var/cache/pbuilder/result/
• Missing build-deps: add to debian/control Build-Depends
• Test with DH_VERBOSE=1 for detailed output

Patch conflicts:

gbp pq import  # Will show conflicts
# Resolve conflicts in patch-queue branch
gbp pq rebase
gbp pq export

Clean source tree:

debian/rules clean  # or: debclean
quilt pop -a  # Unapply all patches
git clean -dfx  # Remove untracked files (careful!)

Resources

• Debian Policy: https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/
• Git-buildpackage manual: https://honk.sigxcpu.org/projects/git-buildpackage/manual-html/
• DEP-14 (branch naming): https://dep-team.pages.debian.net/deps/dep14/
• DEP-3 (patch headers): https://dep-team.pages.debian.net/deps/dep3/
• Debian Developer's Reference: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/
• Salsa (Debian GitLab): https://salsa.debian.org/

Environment Setup

~/.bashrc additions:

export DEBEMAIL="your@email.domain"
export DEBFULLNAME="Your Name"
alias lintian='lintian -iIEcv --pedantic --color auto'

Remember: Debian packaging values correctness over convenience. Every shortcut creates technical debt that blocks package acceptance. When in doubt, check Policy and study well-maintained packages.