deb-postrm(5)

deb-postrm5

Package post-removal maintainer script

Usage

DEBIAN/postrm

Overview

A package can perform several post-removal actions via maintainer scripts, by including an executable postrm file in its control archive (i.e. DEBIAN/postrm during package creation).

The script can be called in the following ways:

postrm remove

After the package was removed.

postrm purge

After the package was purged.

old-postrm upgrade new-version

After the package was upgraded.

new-postrm failed-upgrade old-version new-version

If the above upgrade call fails.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

postrm disappear overwriter-package overwriter-version

After all of the packages files have been replaced.

new-postrm abort-install

If preinst fails during install.

new-postrm abort-install old-version new-version

If preinst fails during install for an upgrade of a removed package.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

new-postrm abort-upgrade old-version new-version

If preinst fails during upgrade.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

Releases

6 releases since Debian 9 (Stretch); the text changed 5 times.

  1. 9
  2. 10
  3. 11
  4. 12
  5. 13
  6. Arch

From dpkg 1.23.11-1 in Arch Linux 2026-11-01. Parsed by carta from the page's man source.