Command documentation sourced from the linux-command project This comprehensive command reference is part of the linux-command documentation project.

apt-sortpkgs - Utility to Sort Debian Package Index Files

The apt-sortpkgs command is a simple utility used in Debian Linux systems to sort package index files. This tool is primarily used by package maintainers and repository administrators to organize package indexes in a consistent and predictable manner.

Basic Syntax

apt-sortpkgs [OPTIONS] [FILE...]

Common Options

• -s, --source - Sort by source package field instead of package name
• -h, --help - Display help information
• -o=FILE, --output=FILE - Write output to specified file instead of standard output

Usage Examples

Basic Package Index Sorting

# Sort a package index file by package name
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz

# Sort multiple package index files
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz Packages.bz2

# Sort a package index and save to new file
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz -o Packages.sorted

# Sort index file and display output
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz

Source Package Sorting

# Sort by source package name instead of binary package name
apt-sortpkgs -s Sources.gz

# Sort source index file
apt-sortpkgs -s Sources -o Sources.sorted

# Sort multiple source index files
apt-sortpkgs -s Sources.gz Sources.bz2

Repository Management

# Sort all package indexes in a repository directory
apt-sortpkgs /var/lib/apt/lists/*_Packages

# Sort source package indexes
apt-sortpkgs -s /var/lib/apt/lists/*_Sources

# Process compressed package indexes
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz Packages.bz2 Packages.xz

# Sort indexes with redirection
apt-sortpkgs Packages.gz > sorted_packages

Package Repository Maintenance

# Sort custom package index
apt-sortpkgs /tmp/custom_packages

# Clean up package repository indexes
cd /var/www/apt/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/
apt-sortpkgs Packages -o Packages.sorted

# Update repository with sorted index
mv Packages.sorted Packages
gzip -c Packages > Packages.gz

Practical Examples

Repository Preparation

# Prepare Debian package repository
# 1. Create package index
dpkg-scanpackages . /dev/null > Packages

# 2. Sort the package index
apt-sortpkgs Packages -o Packages.sorted

# 3. Replace original with sorted version
mv Packages.sorted Packages

# 4. Create compressed versions
gzip -c Packages > Packages.gz
bzip2 -c Packages > Packages.bz2

Source Repository Management

# Prepare source package repository
# 1. Create source index
dpkg-scansources . /dev/null > Sources

# 2. Sort by source package name
apt-sortpkgs -s Sources -o Sources.sorted

# 3. Replace with sorted version
mv Sources.sorted Sources

# 4. Create compressed versions
gzip -c Sources > Sources.gz
bzip2 -c Sources > Sources.bz2

Bulk Repository Processing

# Process multiple distributions
for dist in stable testing unstable; do
    for arch in i386 amd64 arm64; do
        if [ -f "/var/www/apt/dists/$dist/main/binary-$arch/Packages" ]; then
            apt-sortpkgs "/var/www/apt/dists/$dist/main/binary-$arch/Packages" \
                       -o "/var/www/apt/dists/$dist/main/binary-$arch/Packages.sorted"
            mv "/var/www/apt/dists/$dist/main/binary-$arch/Packages.sorted" \
               "/var/www/apt/dists/$dist/main/binary-$arch/Packages"
        fi
    done
done

Repository Validation

# Validate package index format
apt-sortpkgs Packages > /dev/null && echo "Index format is valid"

# Check if index is already sorted
apt-sortpkgs Packages > temp_sorted
diff Packages temp_sorted && echo "Index is already sorted"
rm -f temp_sorted

# Count packages in sorted index
apt-sortpkgs Packages | wc -l

Backup and Maintenance Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# Repository maintenance script

REPO_DIR="/var/www/apt"
LOG_FILE="/var/log/apt-maintenance.log"

log() {
    echo "[$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')] $1" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
}

# Function to sort and compress package indexes
sort_and_compress() {
    local index_file="$1"
    local output_dir="$2"

    if [ -f "$index_file" ]; then
        log "Sorting $index_file"
        apt-sortpkgs "$index_file" -o "${index_file}.sorted"

        if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
            mv "${index_file}.sorted" "$index_file"
            log "Successfully sorted $index_file"

            # Create compressed versions
            gzip -c "$index_file" > "${index_file}.gz"
            bzip2 -c "$index_file" > "${index_file}.bz2"
            log "Created compressed versions of $index_file"
        else
            log "Error sorting $index_file"
            return 1
        fi
    fi
}

# Process all package indexes in repository
find "$REPO_DIR" -name "Packages" -type f | while read packages_file; do
    sort_and_compress "$packages_file"
done

# Process all source indexes
find "$REPO_DIR" -name "Sources" -type f | while read sources_file; do
    apt-sortpkgs -s "$sources_file" -o "${sources_file}.sorted"
    mv "${sources_file}.sorted" "$sources_file"
    gzip -c "$sources_file" > "${sources_file}.gz"
done

log "Repository maintenance completed"

Related Commands

• dpkg-scanpackages - Scan directory for Debian packages
• dpkg-scansources - Scan directory for Debian source packages
• apt-ftparchive - Create archive files for apt repositories
• apt - Package management tool
• apt-get - Low-level package management
• reprepro - Debian repository management tool

Best Practices

Repository Management

1. Always sort package indexes before publishing them
2. Create compressed versions (.gz, .bz2) for bandwidth efficiency
3. Use consistent sorting across all repository distributions
4. Validate sorted indexes before deployment
5. Keep backups of original indexes before sorting

Index File Handling

1. Work with temporary files during sorting operations
2. Verify sorting results before replacing original files
3. Use appropriate compression for different use cases
4. Maintain consistent file naming conventions
5. Update all compressed versions after sorting

Automation and Scripting

1. Include error handling in automated sorting scripts
2. Log sorting operations for audit purposes
3. Use atomic file operations to prevent corruption
4. Validate file permissions and ownership
5. Implement rollback mechanisms for failed operations

Performance Considerations

1. Sort indexes during low-traffic periods
2. Use appropriate compression levels for file sizes
3. Consider parallel processing for large repositories
4. Monitor disk space during sorting operations
5. Cache sorted indexes when possible

Integration with Repository Tools

1. Integrate apt-sortpkgs into repository build pipelines
2. Combine with dpkg-scanpackages for complete repository generation
3. Use with apt-ftparchive for advanced repository management
4. Coordinate with repository mirroring systems
5. Test sorted indexes with client tools before deployment

The apt-sortpkgs utility provides a simple but essential function for maintaining well-organized Debian package repositories, ensuring consistent package ordering for reliable package management operations. While it's a specialized tool primarily used by repository maintainers, it plays an important role in the Debian package ecosystem.