zpkg

What does zpkg do?

With zpkg you can install programs from other distributions into your system

$ zpkg add gimp --from alpine --apk gimp

zpkg will install programs to your home directory.

$ readlink ~/.local/bin/gimp
../lib/zpkg/gimp/gimp

You can upgrade zpkg packages. Upgrades are atomic for each package.

$ zpkg upgrade

It is possible to repackage added programs into standalone zpkg packages. These packages can be easily installed into other machines. The only system requirement is tar. Standalone zpkg packages may be managed (removed, upgraded) with zpkg.

$ zpkg package gimp /tmp/gimp.zpkg
Install package locally:
$ tar -xf /tmp/gimp.zpkg -C ~/.local

Install package globally:
$ tar -xf /tmp/gimp.zpkg -C /usr/local

Usage

USAGE zpkg [-g|-l] {add,flush,freeze,ls,package,rebuild,rm,upgrade} ... SUBCOMMANDS add [PKG] BUILD-ARGS builds and adds a package flush flushes the build cache freeze print package with build instruction ls lists all installed packages package PKG FILE creates a standalone package rebuild PKG rebuild given package rm PKG uninstalls the given package unfreeze FREEZED-FILE apply frozen file upgrade upgrades each package atomically ARGUMENTS --global, -g affects the system globally --local, -l saves packages in cwd under ./zpkg BUILD ARGUMENTS --from, -f choose a base image --run, -x run any shell (/bin/sh) command --layer, -l adds a layer for build caching --from-github build according to instructions at GitHub project --add-apt-repository, --apt, --apk, --apt, --dnf, --emerge, --npm, --pacman, --pip, --pip3, --yum Invokes the given tool with it's primary action -A same as `--from alpine:edge --apk` -C same as `--from centos:8 --yum` -D same as `--from debian:sid --apt` -F same as `--from fedora:32 --dnf` -G same as `--from gentoo:current --emerge` -R same as `--from archlinux:current --pacman` -U same as `--from ubuntu:focal --apt` EXAMPLE zpkg add xeyes -U x11-apps zpkg add -A gimp zpkg add -A py3-pip --pip3 yapf zpkg rm yapf

FAQ

How stable is zpkg?

Alpha.

How is zpkg licensed?

zpkg and plash are under the MIT licence.

What else can I do with zpkg?

Quickly use applications from other Linux distributions.
Install applications without root.
Distribute applications with zpkg package. This is by the way how zpkg is distributed.
Deploy web applications or services with zpkg package.
Have distribution independent applications in your home folder or a usb stick.

Does zpkg run on Windows/MacOS/BSD?

zpkg requires a Linux kernel. Running on another host operating system is only possible with it's eventual Linux compability mechanisms.

What applications work with zpkg?

Everything except System Programs. As an example: Bash, synaptic, apt, and gnome-tweak-tool may not work as desired. LibreOffice, Firefox, Gimp and pylint are fully supported.

Which build commands are supported?

All of plash's build commands are supported when adding packages.

What happens if a package changes files of its base image?

This would also affect other packages with the same base image. If that ever happens you need to remove the bad package (zpkg rm badpkg) and upgrade (zpkg upgrade).

How do I keep zpkg updated?

Since zpkg is packaged with zpkg, running zpkg upgrade will upgrade it.

Can I contribute?

Absolutely.

Thank you

If you like zpkg, star it on GitHub. Help others by reporting any issue. Feel free to contact me directly for anything.

Use programs from other Linux distributions

Install