deb-preinst(5)

deb-preinst5

Package pre-installation maintainer script

Usage

DEBIAN/preinst

Overview

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

The script can be called in the following ways:

new-preinst install

Before the package is installed.

new-preinst install old-version new-version

Before a removed package is upgraded.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

new-preinst upgrade old-version new-version

Before the package is upgraded.

Support for new-version since dpkg 1.18.5.

old-preinst abort-upgrade new-version

If postrm fails during upgrade or fails on failed upgrade.

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.