Install Debian packages on Arch Linux with Debtap
Are you trying to get an app working on Arch Linux or Manjaro but can’t find it in the official software repos or even the AUR? Try Debtap. It’s an automated tool that can decompile DEB packages and convert them to native Arch Linux packages.
Warning: Debtap is experimental software. Packages that are converted with this tool may not always work. Use Debtap at your own risk!
Installing Debtap on Arch Linux and Manjaro
Debtap does not come with Arch Linux or Manjaro out of the box. However, it is possible to get this program working quite quickly. To start the installation process for Debtap, open up a terminal window.
Unsure about how to open up a terminal window on the desktop? Press Ctrl + Alt + T. Alternatively, you’ll be able to launch the terminal window by searching for “Terminal” in the app menu and launching it that way.
With the terminal window open and ready to use, you must install the Trizen AUR helper. This program automates the installation of AUR packages. Unfortunately, Debtap is in the AUR, so Trizen must get it working easily.
To install the Trizen tool, start by setting up the “git” and “base-devel” packages.
sudo pacman -S base-devel git
Once the two packages are set up, run the git clone command and download the latest Trizen AUR snapshot.
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/trizen.git Next, install the software. cd trizen/ makepkg -sri
With the Trizen AUR application set up, you can use it to set up the Debtap application using the trizen -S command.
trizen -S debtap
Configuring Debtap
The Debtap application needs to be configured on your Arch Linux (or Manjaro) system before attempting to use it. Configuring Debtap is easy. To do it, you’ll need to run the debtap -u command as root.
What is the debtap -u command? Simply put, it updates the Debtap databases so that it can more easily take Debian packages and convert them to Arch Linux packages. To update the databases on your system, launch a terminal and run the command below.
sudo debtap -u
After running the command above, Debtap will be ready to use. However, if you want to learn more advanced Debtap configurations, consider running the debtap –help command in the terminal.
Using Debtap to generate an Arch Linux package
Debtap is an excellent tool that Arch Linux (and Manjaro) users can use when they cannot find an application in the official Arch Linux repos or the AUR. To use this program, you will need a terminal window.
Open up a terminal window on the desktop by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or by searching for “Terminal” in the app menu and launching it that way. When the terminal window is open, use the CD command and move to the “Downloads” directory.
Now that your terminal is open in the “Downloads” folder download the DEB package you want to convert using your web browser. When the download is complete, use the debtap command to begin the conversion process.
debtap name-of-your-deb-package.deb
Installing generated Arch Linux packages
After generating the package with the Debtap app, you can install the generated package on your Arch Linux system. To start the installation, ensure you have the terminal window open and ready to use.
With the terminal window open, use the CD command and move into the directory where your package was generated.
From here, use the pacman -U command to install the generated Arch Linux package onto your computer.
sudo pacman -U name-of-package.pkg.tar.zst
Arch Linux will ask you to enter your password upon entering the command above. Using the keyboard, enter your password. After entering your password, Arch Linux will ask you to press the Y key to continue with the installation.
Using Debtap to generate a PKGBUILD
While Debtap is generally used to generate an installable Arch Linux package, it can also create a PKGBUILD file. PKGBUILD files are automated build scripts that are uploaded to the AUR.
Note: you should only use the PKGBUILD function if you understand how PKGBUILDs work on Arch Linux and understand how to edit them.
To generate a PKGBUILD with Debtap, start out with the downloaded DEB package. Then, run the debtap command to generate the PKGBUILD file.
debtap -P NAME_OF_DEB_PACKAGE.deb
The generation shouldn’t take too long. When the process is complete, you’ll need to open up the PKGBUILD file, locate the “source_x86_64=(” section, and add the link to the DEB package here. Then, save the edits.
Once editing is complete, you’ll have your generated DEB package.
Installing packages with Debtap PKGBUILD files
Installing Debtap generated PKGBUILD files works just like installing PKGBUILD files downloaded from the AUR. To install, open up a terminal and run the makepkg -sri command in the directory where the PKGBUILD file is located.
makepkg -sri
This is strong suggested not to use because of breakage.
Yes, packages can break but it’s a good tool if you don’t have other options.