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Use fpm once for each package format, while keeping the application files and shared metadata in one configuration. For a staged directory, select the directory source with -s dir, choose an output with -t deb, -t rpm, -t pacman, or another supported target, then map the files and declare metadata. A shared .fpm options file lets the same name, version, dependencies, maintainer, and file mappings produce several packages without copying a long command.
FPM does not make every package format identical. Debian, RPM, Pacman, and Alpine packages have different dependency syntax, architecture labels, script behavior, compression defaults, and repository policies. Build each target, inspect its metadata, and test installation, upgrade, and removal on the distributions you actually support.
Understand fpm’s source-to-target model
FPM’s central model is simple: provide a source type, choose a target type, and supply the source inputs. The documentation summarizes it this way: “Given a source and a target, FPM can convert all the source files into a package of the target format.” The source describes where the payload and metadata come from; the target determines the package format that fpm writes.
For a locally assembled application, the most predictable source is a staging directory. You place files in the paths they should occupy on the installed system, then map that directory into the package. The same staged tree can be emitted as a Debian package, an RPM, a Pacman package, or another format by changing only the target and output filename.
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The three inputs to every build
- Source type: selected with
-sor--input-type, such asdir,gem, ornpm. - Output type: selected with
-tor--output-type, such asdeb,rpm,pacman, orapk. - Source inputs: files, directories, package names, or existing packages that fpm converts.
Keeping those concepts separate makes multi-format packaging manageable. You can change the target without rebuilding the application tree, and you can change the input source without changing the general metadata workflow.
Prepare a clean staging tree
Build from a directory containing only files intended for the package. This prevents editor backups, test artifacts, local credentials, and build logs from silently entering the archive. It also makes the file-to-destination mapping easy to review.
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For the example application, create a layout such as:
hello-world-staging/
├── hello-world
└── hello-world.1The two files will be installed as /usr/bin/hello-world and /usr/share/man/man1/hello-world.1. The names on the left side of each mapping are local paths; the names on the right are paths inside the installed package.
Before invoking fpm, check ownership and permissions in the staging area. Executables should be executable, manual pages should be readable, and files should not retain a developer’s private ownership. If a package must create writable directories at install time, declare those directories deliberately rather than including an entire working tree.
Build a first Debian package
This command follows the documented fpm directory-source pattern:
fpm
-s dir -t deb
-p hello-world-0.1.0-1-any.deb
--name hello-world
--license agpl3
--version 0.1.0
--architecture all
--depends bash --depends lolcat
--description "Say hi!"
--url "https://example.com/hello-world"
--maintainer "You The Amazing Person <you@example.com>"
hello-world=/usr/bin/hello-world
hello-world.1=/usr/share/man/man1/hello-world.1-s dir tells fpm to read local files. -t deb selects the Debian handler, and -p sets the exact output path. The example uses all because the application is an architecture-independent script; compiled binaries normally require the architecture for which they were built. Repeating --depends records both runtime dependencies.
The command’s metadata is part of the package, not decoration. Package managers use the name, version, architecture, dependency declarations, and maintainer information when deciding whether a package can be installed, upgraded, or removed. Set each value intentionally instead of relying on defaults.
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What each important option controls
| Option | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
-s or --input-type |
Selects the source handler | -s dir |
-t or --output-type |
Selects the package format | -t deb |
-p or --package |
Sets the generated package path | -p hello-world-0.1.0-1-any.deb |
-n or --name |
Sets the package name | --name hello-world |
-v or --version |
Sets the application/package version | --version 0.1.0 |
-a or --architecture |
Sets the package architecture label | --architecture all |
-d or --depends |
Adds a runtime dependency; repeat it for multiple dependencies | --depends bash |
--config-files |
Marks installed paths as configuration files | --config-files /etc/hello-world.conf |
--directories |
Declares directories that belong to the package | --directories /var/lib/hello-world |
--prefix |
Applies a prefix where the target handler supports it | --prefix /opt |
--workdir |
Chooses fpm’s working directory | --workdir /tmp/fpm-build |
Options such as --license, --description, --url, and --maintainer fill the package’s descriptive metadata. Keep descriptions useful to an administrator reading a package index; do not treat them as a substitute for dependency or configuration declarations.
Emit Debian and RPM packages from one configuration
Put values that should not change between formats in a file named .fpm. A typical shared file contains the source type, identity, dependencies, descriptive fields, and source mappings:
-s dir
--name hello-world
--license agpl3
--version 0.1.0
--architecture all
--depends bash
--depends lolcat
--description Say hi!
--url https://example.com/hello-world
--maintainer You The Amazing Person <you@example.com>
hello-world=/usr/bin/hello-world
hello-world.1=/usr/share/man/man1/hello-world.1With that file in the build directory, run one command per target:
fpm -t deb -p hello-world-0.1.0-1-any.deb
fpm -t rpm -p hello-world-0.1.0-1.x86_64.rpmFPM reads the shared options, then applies command-line values. Command-line flags override values from the .fpm file, so the target and output path can stay outside the shared configuration. This arrangement gives every format the same payload and identity while allowing target-specific changes where they are necessary.
When to split target-specific settings
Do not force every option into one universal file. Debian and RPM may represent dependency versions differently, use different architecture names, or expect different script and configuration-file conventions. Keep common metadata in .fpm, then add target-specific flags on each invocation. If a target needs many special options, maintain a separate options file for that target and invoke it with --fpm-options-file as appropriate.
For example, an architecture-independent script can retain --architecture all for Debian, while an RPM build may need an architecture label that matches the RPM repositories where it will be published. The correct value depends on the artifact and the target ecosystem; do not copy a Debian architecture name into an RPM package without checking the target handler’s conventions.
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Package other source types
A directory is only one of fpm’s input handlers. The documented inventory includes npm packages, Ruby gems, Python applications, virtual environments, CPAN and PEAR modules, pkgin inputs, archives, existing packages, and empty packages.
NPM modules
Select the npm source handler and name the module, then choose a supported output:
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fpm -s npm -t deb package-name
fpm -s npm -t rpm package-name
fpm -s npm -t pacman package-name
fpm -s npm -t tar package-nameReplace package-name with the npm package you intend to package. FPM obtains package metadata from npm for this source type. Verify the resulting name, version, dependency list, and installed file locations rather than assuming npm’s metadata maps perfectly to every operating-system package policy.
Ruby gems
The documented gem example turns the fpm gem into a Debian package:
fpm -s gem -t deb fpmThe same source can be directed to another target supported by the gem handler. Inspect dependency translation, especially when a gem depends on native libraries or executables that are named differently by the operating system.
Python, virtualenv, CPAN, PEAR, pkgin, archives, and existing packages
Use the corresponding input handler listed by your installed fpm version. Existing Debian, RPM, and Pacman packages can themselves be inputs, allowing conversion to another target type. Tar and zip inputs are also represented in fpm’s packaging-type inventory. This is useful when an upstream build already produces a package or archive but your deployment environment expects another format.
Conversion is not proof that the result follows the destination distribution’s policy. A converted package may carry file paths, dependencies, scripts, ownership, or metadata that were valid only for the original format. Treat conversion as a starting point and apply the same inspection and installation tests as for a package built from a directory.
Choose among fpm’s output formats
FPM lists Debian, RPM, Pacman, Alpine APK, Solaris, FreeBSD, macOS package, Puppet, p5p, shell archive, tar, zip, snap, and directory-tree outputs. The following comparison focuses on the formats most often used for Linux distribution packages.
| Target | Typical use | What to validate |
|---|---|---|
deb |
Debian-family package managers | Dependency names and versions, architecture label, configuration-file behavior, maintainer scripts, ownership, and compression |
rpm |
RPM-based distributions | RPM dependency syntax, release/iteration conventions, architecture label, script ordering, ownership, and compression |
pacman |
Arch-family package managers | Dependency mapping, install/upgrade/remove scripts, file ownership, and package metadata accepted by the target system |
apk |
Alpine Linux packages | APK-specific dependency and architecture conventions, scripts, ownership, compression, and repository policy |
tar |
Portable archive distribution without a native package database | Extraction paths, ownership, permissions, and any install procedure required after extraction |
The table describes validation areas, not interchangeable behavior. FPM has format-specific handlers and flags, so an option accepted for one target may be ignored, translated, or unsupported for another. Build every target separately and inspect its native metadata with the package tools used by the target distribution.
Dependencies and version semantics
Repeat --depends for every runtime requirement. Name dependencies as the destination package manager names them, not necessarily as the upstream project names them. A shell command, shared library, or language module can have different package names across Debian, RPM-based, Arch, and Alpine systems. If the dependency needs a minimum or maximum version, use the syntax supported by that target and verify the generated metadata.
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Architecture labels
Use all only when the payload is genuinely architecture-independent, such as a script that relies on declared interpreter dependencies. Native binaries, compiled extensions, and architecture-specific libraries need an appropriate target architecture. The filename is not enough: the architecture field inside the package must agree with the binary content and repository policy.
Configuration files and directories
Mark files that administrators are expected to edit with --config-files. This tells supported handlers to treat them differently from ordinary payload files during upgrades or removal. Use --directories for package-owned directories that need explicit declaration. Test what happens when an administrator changes a configuration file before upgrading; a package that overwrites local policy can cause an avoidable outage.
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Add installation, upgrade, and removal scripts carefully
FPM exposes lifecycle options for actions before and after installation and upgrade, including --before-install, --after-install, --before-upgrade, and --after-upgrade. The CLI reference also documents the install/remove/upgrade script family for Debian, RPM, and Pacman packages. Do not assume the same scripts or ordering are available for every output type, particularly APK and archive outputs.
Use scripts only for work that cannot be represented by files and metadata. Typical examples include creating a runtime user, migrating a data directory, or registering a service. Scripts should be idempotent, fail clearly, avoid interactive prompts, and preserve administrator-managed configuration. Keep them under version control and test fresh installation, upgrade from the previous release, downgrade if your release process permits it, and removal.
Make builds repeatable
FPM’s current CLI reference documents --source-date-epoch-default and --source-date-epoch-from-changelog. These options let a build use a controlled source-date epoch rather than whatever clock time happens to be present on the builder. The changelog-based option is described as experimental and is currently implemented for gem input.
Reproducibility also depends on the inputs you control. Build from a clean staging directory, sort or otherwise stabilize generated file lists before mapping them, pin application dependencies outside fpm, and keep the same metadata file in version control. Compare package contents and metadata for each target; a matching checksum is meaningful only when the build inputs and target toolchain are controlled.
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Creating a file with the expected extension is not the end of the build. For each target:
- Confirm the package filename includes the intended name, version, release or iteration, and architecture.
- List the archive contents and check every destination path, permission, and ownership.
- Read the native metadata and verify dependencies, description, license, maintainer, URL, configuration-file declarations, and scripts.
- Install it in a clean virtual machine or container running the distribution you support.
- Exercise the application as a normal user, not only as root.
- Change a configuration file, install the next version, and verify the upgrade behavior.
- Remove the package and check that package-owned files disappear while administrator data is handled according to your policy.
- Resolve dependencies using the target distribution’s package manager and record any names that must differ between formats.
Run these checks independently for Debian, RPM-based, Arch-family, and Alpine environments. A package that installs successfully on one distribution can still fail because of a different dependency name, service convention, architecture label, script interpreter, or filesystem policy.
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Troubleshoot common multi-format failures
Files appear in the wrong location
Review each source-to-destination mapping. The left side must exist in the build context, while the right side must be the absolute path intended for installation. Rebuild from a clean staging directory so a stale file cannot mask a typo.
The package installs but the command cannot run
Check the executable bit, interpreter line, architecture, and runtime dependencies. A script packaged as all still needs its interpreter and utilities declared as dependencies. A native binary built for one architecture cannot be repaired by changing the package label.
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Compare the dependency names generated for each target with the names in the repositories used by your test system. Translate names per target instead of assuming one list is portable. If a dependency is optional, do not declare it as mandatory merely to make a local test pass.
An upgrade overwrites local configuration
Ensure the path is marked with --config-files and test the target handler’s upgrade semantics. Keep mutable data outside the package payload where possible, and make migration scripts preserve existing administrator changes.
A lifecycle script works on one target but not another
Check whether the target supports that script family and whether the script relies on distribution-specific commands or paths. The documented script support covers Debian, RPM, and Pacman; other output types require separate confirmation and may need a different deployment mechanism.
The two packages contain different files
Compare the shared .fpm file, command-line overrides, and target-specific options. Then list both package contents. Differences may be intentional when a handler applies target conventions, but an unexpected omission usually indicates a path mapping or option that was supplied only to one invocation.
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A practical repository can keep the application source, a generated staging directory, one shared .fpm file, and a small build script. The build script should clean the staging area, populate it from a known source revision, run fpm once per supported target, and place all artifacts in a dedicated output directory. Keep target-specific flags next to the command that uses them so reviewers can see why the formats differ.
Do not publish an artifact merely because fpm completed without an error. Gate publication on metadata checks and installation tests for each distribution family. Sign packages and publish them through the repository and key-management process required by your organization and the destination ecosystem; fpm creates package files but does not make a universal signing or repository policy for you.
Quick Recap
Decision checklist
- Is the source a clean, intentional directory or a documented fpm input handler?
- Does the package name, version, release or iteration, license, URL, maintainer, and description match the release?
- Are architecture and dependencies correct for this target?
- Are configuration files, directories, ownership, and permissions declared deliberately?
- Are lifecycle scripts necessary, supported by this target, and safe on install, upgrade, and removal?
- Does the same shared
.fpmconfiguration produce the expected payload in every format? - Have you inspected and installed each package on the actual distributions you support?
- Are reproducibility settings and build inputs controlled well enough for your release requirements?
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