Linux APT Build Repo

Linux APT Build Repo is a tool designed to build Debian packages (.deb) and create a local APT repository automatically. This allows you to easily manage your own Debian packages and serve them through a local repository accessible by Debian-based systems like Ubuntu.

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What Are Debian Packages and APT Repositories?

• Debian Package (.deb): The standard package format for software installation on Debian-based systems. Each package contains the software files, metadata, and installation scripts.

• APT Repository: A structured storage location for Debian packages, containing metadata indexes so that APT tools (apt-get, apt) can find, install, update, or remove packages easily.

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Why Use This Tool?

When developing your own Debian packages or modifying software, you may want to:

• Build your own .deb packages for easier distribution and installation.
• Set up a local APT repository to serve packages within your internal network without using public servers.
• Manage packages centrally, including signing them with GPG keys for security.
• Automate the build and repo creation process to save time and reduce errors.

This tool automates these steps so you don’t have to run complex commands manually.

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How the Tool Works

The tool consists of two main scripts:

1. build-packages.sh

• Builds Debian packages from source directories.
• You can build a single package, multiple packages, or all available packages.
• For example, building a package named hello-world will create a .deb file ready for installation.

2. build-repo.sh

• After building .deb files, this script creates the APT repository metadata.
• It generates package indices and repository metadata for all specified architectures.
• Optionally signs the repository with GPG keys to ensure package authenticity.

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Usage Examples

Build a Single Package

To build only the hello-world package:

bash build-packages.sh --package hello-world
bash build-repo.sh

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Build Multiple Packages

To build multiple packages, e.g., hello-world and hello-world-2:

bash build-packages.sh --package hello-world hello-world-2
bash build-repo.sh

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Build All Packages

To build every package in your source directory:

bash build-packages.sh --package all
bash build-repo.sh

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Requirements

Ensure the following tools are installed on your system:

• bash
• dpkg-deb
• dpkg-scanpackages
• apt-ftparchive
• gpg (optional, for signing)

You can install them on Debian/Ubuntu with:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install dpkg-dev apt-utils gnupg gzip xz-utils

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Configuration

Configure variables in the config.sh file:

• suite — Distribution name, e.g. focal, buster
• component — Repository component, e.g. main
• arch — Array of architectures, e.g. ("amd64" "arm64" "all")
• build — Folder where .deb packages will be built
• repo — Folder where the repository metadata and packages will be stored

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Example

Suppose you have a hello-world package and want to build and create a local repo:

bash build-packages.sh --package hello-world
bash build-repo.sh

You can then add this repository to your system’s APT sources:

deb [trusted=true] https://YOUR-REPO-LINK/ suite component

Or if you signed the repo with GPG:

deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/YOUR-KEYRING.gpg] https://YOUR-REPO-LINK/ suite component

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Benefits

• Automates the packaging and repository creation process.
• Supports multiple architectures.
• Supports GPG signing for secure package distribution.
• Easy to integrate into CI/CD pipelines or local development workflows.

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Sample Generated Repository Structure

After running the build scripts, your repository directory might look like this:

.
├── dists
│   └── stable
│       ├── InRelease
│       ├── main
│       │   ├── binary-all
│       │   │   ├── Packages
│       │   │   ├── Packages.gz
│       │   │   └── Packages.xz
│       │   ├── binary-amd64
│       │   │   ├── Packages
│       │   │   ├── Packages.gz
│       │   │   └── Packages.xz
│       │   ├── binary-arm64
│       │   │   ├── Packages
│       │   │   ├── Packages.gz
│       │   │   └── Packages.xz
│       │   ├── binary-armel
│       │   │   ├── Packages
│       │   │   ├── Packages.gz
│       │   │   └── Packages.xz
│       │   ├── binary-armhf
│       │   │   ├── Packages
│       │   │   ├── Packages.gz
│       │   │   └── Packages.xz
│       │   └── binary-i386
│       │       ├── Packages
│       │       ├── Packages.gz
│       │       └── Packages.xz
│       ├── Release
│       └── Release.gpg
├── pool
│   └── main
│       └── h
│           └── helloworld
│               └── helloworld_1.0.0_all.deb
└── mykey.gpg

• The dists directory contains distribution metadata and package indexes per architecture.
• The pool directory stores the actual .deb package files.
• The Release and Release.gpg files contain repository metadata and GPG signatures.
• test.gpg could be your GPG public key used for signing.

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License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - See the LICENSE file for full details.