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content/blog/checkinstall.md

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+---
+title: "Checkinstall"
+date: 2020-04-26T12:11:30-04:00
+draft: false
+tags: ["packaging", "linux"]
+---
+
+To create a quick and dirty Debian or RPM package, check out `checkinstall`! Be forewarned though that this isn't the recommended way of creating packages. This post on [AskUbuntu](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1138384/why-is-checkinstall-no-longer-being-maintained) gives good reasons for why. Though if it is between running a `make install` or running this utility, I would consider running `checkinstall` instead.
+
+This program works by tracking all the files installed by a `make install` equivalent. This makes it easy to remove later on. 
+
+To install on a debian based distribution,
+
+```bash
+sudo apt install checkinstall
+```
+
+Then you can go to the directory that you normally `make install` and instead run the following to make a Debian package.
+
+```bash
+sudo checkinstall -D --install=no --nodoc
+```
+
+It will ask you to fill in various metadata such as name and author, and then it will create a package you can install!
+
+To install,
+```bash
+sudo dpkg -i filename.deb
+```
+
+You can later remove it with apt.
+
+```bash
+sudo apt remove package_name
+```
+
+If the application does not use `make install`, then you can add extra arguments to denote its equivalent
+
+```bash
+sudo checkinstall -D --isntall=no --nodoc ./customInstallScript
+```
+
+Arguments to `checkinstall`
+
+| Flag           | Description                         |
+| -------------- | ----------------------------------- |
+| `-D`           | Create a Debian package             |
+| `-R`           | Create a RPM package                |
+| `-S`           | Create a Slackware package          |
+| `--install=no` | Don't install package               |
+| `--nodoc`      | Do not include documentation filesq |