dpkg — Debian Package Tool

dpkg is the lower-level package tool used by Debian-based Linux systems. It works directly with .deb files and the installed package database.

Install a local .deb file

sudo dpkg -i package-file.deb

If dependencies are missing, fix them with:

sudo apt-get -f install

List installed packages

dpkg -l

Check whether a package is installed

dpkg -l | grep package-name

Find which package owns a file

dpkg -S /path/to/file

For normal package installation from repositories, use apt or apt-get. Use dpkg when working directly with local Debian package files or package metadata.