$ Linux Command

Packages

dpkg-query

Query the dpkg package database for installed packages.

debianpackagedpkgdatabasequery

Additional Notes

dpkg-query is a tool for searching and displaying information from the dpkg package database. It can list installed packages, find which package owns a file, check package status, and display package metadata such as version, description, and dependencies.

While dpkg --list and dpkg --search provide similar functionality, dpkg-query offers more flexible output formatting with --showformat and supports detailed status reporting. It works only with installed packages listed in dpkg's database, not with remote repository data (use apt-cache for that).

Syntax

dpkg-query [options] command

Parameters

  • command: One of -l, -W, -s, -p, -L, -S, or --control-list to specify the query type.

Common Commands

  • -l, --list [pattern]: List installed packages matching a glob pattern.
  • -W, --show [pattern]: Show information about packages using a configurable format.
  • -s, --status package: Show detailed status of a specific installed package.
  • -p, --print-avail package: Show details from the available (not necessarily installed) package.
  • -L, --listfiles package: List files installed by a package.
  • -S, --search pattern: Find which installed package owns a file matching the pattern.
  • --control-list package: List control files provided by a package.
  • --control-show package control-file: Show the contents of a specific control file.

Common Options

  • -f, --showformat format: Specify output format for -W using ${field} placeholders.
  • -F, --listformat format: Specify output format for -l.
  • --admindir dir: Use an alternate dpkg database directory.

Examples

dpkg-query -l 'bash*'

List all installed packages whose names start with bash.

dpkg-query -S /bin/ls

Find which package owns /bin/ls.

dpkg-query -L openssh-client

List all files installed by openssh-client.

dpkg-query -s nginx

Show detailed status and metadata for the nginx package.

dpkg-query -W -f '${Package} ${Version} ${Status}\n'

Show package name, version, and status for all installed packages.

Practical Notes

  • Use -W -f for custom-formatted reports in scripts. Placeholders include ${Package}, ${Version}, ${Status}, ${Section}, ${Maintainer}, and ${Description}.
  • Unlike apt-cache, dpkg-query can only search installed packages.
  • The -S option accepts shell globs, so dpkg-query -S '/etc/*' finds all config files owned by packages.
  • For remote package metadata, use apt-cache show or apt-cache search.