DistroPack User Guide
Welcome to the DistroPack User Guide. This documentation covers everything you need to know to build, package, and distribute Linux packages using DistroPack.
Quick Links
Getting Started
Getting Started Guide
New to DistroPack? Start here! This comprehensive guide walks you through creating your first project, package, and build. Learn about key concepts, the DistroPack workflow, and get step-by-step instructions for your first package.
Core Features
Projects and Packages
Learn how to organize your software using projects and packages. Projects help you group related packages, while packages represent individual software distributions. Understand the relationship between these concepts and best practices for organization.
File Management
Upload and manage files for your packages. Learn about file reference IDs, file size limits, and how files are used during the build process. Understand which files you need for different types of packages.
Build Configuration
Configure build targets for Debian, RPM, and Arch Linux packages. Select target architectures, set package metadata, and configure dependencies. Learn about versioning and how to trigger builds.
Build Management
Monitor build status, view build logs, and troubleshoot build failures. Understand the build process and how packages are automatically added to repositories after successful builds.
Repository Distribution
Share your packages with users through hosted repositories. Learn about GPG signing, repository metadata, and how users install packages using standard package managers (apt, dnf, pacman).
Advanced Topics
CI/CD Integration
Automate your package builds with CI/CD pipelines. Learn how to use API tokens, integrate with GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and other platforms. See examples and best practices for automated packaging workflows.
API Tokens
Use API tokens for programmatic access to DistroPack. Create and manage tokens, understand authentication, and learn about API endpoints for file uploads and build triggers.
Custom Scripts
Add pre-install, post-install, pre-remove, and post-remove scripts to your packages. Learn how to handle package lifecycle events and create installation scripts for your software.
Multi-Architecture Builds
Build packages for multiple architectures (x86, x64, ARM, ARM64). Understand how to upload architecture-specific files and configure builds for different platforms.
Understanding Linux Packaging
If you're new to Linux packaging, these concepts will help you understand how DistroPack works:
- Linux Packages: Software distribution units that contain files, metadata, and installation scripts
- Repositories: Collections of packages with metadata that package managers use to install software
- GPG Signing: Cryptographic signing that ensures package authenticity and integrity
- Package Formats: Different distributions use different formats (.deb for Debian/Ubuntu, .rpm for Fedora/RHEL, .pkg.tar.zst for Arch)