- Introductory notes
- View package lists
- Search package directories
- Search the contents of packages
All packages that are included in the official Debian distribution arefree according to the Debian FreeSoftware Guidelines. This assures free use and redistribution of thepackages and their complete source code. The official Debian distributionis what is contained in the main section of the Debian archive.
As a service to our users, we also provide packages in separate sectionsthat cannot be included in the main distribution due to either arestrictive license or legal issues. They include:
- Contrib
- Packages in this area are freely licensed by the copyright holder but depend on other software that is not free.
- Non-Free
- Packages in this area have some onerous license condition restricting use or redistribution of the software.
- Non-Free-Firmware
- This section is restricted to device firmware. While packages in this area basically have the same underlying license restrictions as those in non-free, a special exception has been made for them: even if not being DFSG-free, packages from non-free-firmware are allowed to be included in the official installation images.
Note that same packages might appear in several distributions, but withdifferent version numbers.
- View the packages in the stable distribution
-
This is the latest official release of the Debian distribution. This is stable and well tested software, which changes only if major security or usability fixes are incorporated.
See the stable release pages for more information.
- View the packages in the testing distribution
-
This area contains packages that are intended to become part of the next stable distribution. There are strict criteria a package in unstable (see below) must obey before it can be added to testing. Note that testing
does not get the timely security updates from the security team.
See the testing distribution pages for more information.
- View the packages in the unstable distribution
-
This area contains the most recent packages in Debian. Once a package has met our criterion for stability and quality of packaging, it will be included in testing. unstable
is also not supported by the security team.
Packages in unstable are the least tested and may contain problems severe enough to affect the stability of your system. Only experienced users should consider using this distribution.
See the unstable distribution pages for more information.
There are shortcuts for some searches available:
https://packages.debian.org/name for the search on package names.https://packages.debian.org/src:name for the search on source package names.
This search engine allows you to search the contents of Debiandistributions for any files (or just parts of file names) that arepart of packages.You can also get a full list of files in a given package.
There is also a shortcut available:
https://packages.debian.org/file:path for the search for paths ending in the keyword.
FAQs
Since there is typically over 1 year between releases you might find that stable contains old versions of packages. However, they have been tested in and out. One can confidently say that the packages do not have any known severe bugs, security holes etc., in them.
How many Debian packages are there? ›
Debian comes with more than 59100 packages and runs on 9 architectures.
What package manager does Debian use? ›
dpkg. This is the main package management program. dpkg can be invoked with many options.
Why is Debian not popular? ›
*- - Debian is the source for many, many other Linux distributions, and a cursory search for a graphical representation of the timeline of the entire Linux universe hides one very simple truth: yes, Debian is the starting point for more than half of the Linux universe, but it's also notoriously complex and even its own ...
Is Debian or Ubuntu better? ›
Ubuntu and Debian are both excellent choices for servers. The two, however, cater to different use cases: Choose Debian if stability and security are critical to your server environment. Opt for Ubuntu if you prefer a balance between stability and access to newer features or cutting-edge software.
What is the most updated Debian distro? ›
The most recent version of Debian is Debian version 12, codename "Bookworm". The next up and coming release of Debian is Debian 13, codename "Trixie". Debian always has at least three active branches at any time: "stable", "testing" and "unstable".
Does Arch have more packages than Debian? ›
Debian is the largest upstream Linux distribution with a bigger community and features stable, testing, and unstable branches, offering over 30,000 high quality binary packages. The available number of Arch binary packages is more modest. However, when including the AUR, the quantities are very comparable.
Is Debian 12 better than Debian 11? ›
Debian 11 or Debian 12? If you are using the an older Intel iGPU, it doesn't really matter. If 11 has all the packages you need and don't care about the shorter support window, use whichever. If you have an Nvidia GPU or newer Intel iGPU or Arc GPU then 12 is probably better.
Which distro has the most up-to-date packages? ›
Depends on your main focus, arch linux has the most complete documentation and packages, while all being easy to install using the pacman and the AUR. Arch is also rolling release so you get the most recent versions of each software.
How long will Debian 11 be supported? ›
Debian 11 will receive Long Term Support until August 31, 2026. The supported architectures remain amd64, i386, arm64 and armhf. For further information about using bullseye LTS and upgrading from buster LTS, please refer to LTS/Using.
YUM, short for Yellowdog Updater Modified, is commonly used in Red Hat-based distributions like CentOS and RHEL. On the other hand, APT, which stands for Advanced Packaging Tool, is widely used in Debian, Ubuntu, and their derivatives.
What package installer does Debian use? ›
The APT system as implemented by the apt (Aptitude) package manager from the apt package, is well-known in Debian-based communities like Ubuntu.
Does Debian and Ubuntu use the same package manager? ›
Ubuntu's package management system is derived from the same system used by the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. The package files contain all the necessary files, metadata, and instructions to implement a particular function or software application on your Ubuntu computer.
How long will Debian be supported? ›
Release life cycle
Debian announces its new stable release on a regular basis. Users can expect 3 years of full support for each release and 2 years of extra LTS support. See Debian Releases Wiki page and Debian LTS Wiki page for detailed information.
What is the lifespan of Debian? ›
Debian release strategy
Debian Long Term Support (LTS) is a project to extend the lifetime of all Debian stable releases to (at least) 5 years. Debian LTS is not handled by the Debian Security team, but by a separate group of volunteers and companies interested in making it a success.
How often are Debian packages updated? ›
Debian releases do not follow a fixed schedule. Recent releases have been made around every two years by the Debian Project. The most recent version of Debian is Debian version 12, codename "Bookworm". The next up and coming release of Debian is Debian 13, codename "Trixie".
Is Debian still maintained? ›
Debian is one of the oldest operating systems based on the Linux kernel and, as of September 2023, the second oldest Linux distribution still in active development, only behind Slackware.
