Editing Deb (file format) (section)

===Control archive===
The control archive contents can include the following files:
* '''control''' contains a brief description of the package as well as other information such as its dependencies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://manpages.debian.org/unstable/deb-control.5|title=deb-control(5) man page: Debian packages' master control file format|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|website=manpages.debian.org|access-date=2017-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-controlfields.html#s-binarycontrolfiles|title=Debian Policy Manual Chapter 5 - Control files and their fields|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=30 Mar 2016|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/dreq.en.html#control|title=Debian New Maintainers' Guide - Ch4 Required files under the debian directory|author=Josip Rodin and Osamu Aoki|date=9 Jun 2015|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps|title=Debian Policy Manual Ch7 - Declaring relationships between packages|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=30 Mar 2016|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref>
* '''md5sums''' contains [[MD5]] [[checksum]]s of all files in the package in order to detect corrupt or incomplete files.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://debian-handbook.info/browse/stable/sect.package-meta-information.html|title=The Debian Administrator's Handbook - Package Meta-Information|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=n.d.|website=debian-handbook.info|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref>
* '''conffiles''' lists the files of the package that should be treated as configuration files. Configuration files are not overwritten during an update unless specified.<ref name="debian-faq-7">{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/pkg-basics.en.html|title=Chapter 7. Basics of the Debian package management system|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=12 August 2019|website=debian.org|access-date=27 May 2021}}</ref>
* '''preinst''', '''postinst''', '''prerm''' and '''postrm''' are optional scripts that are executed before or after installing or removing the package.<ref name="debian-faq-7"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wiki.debian.org/MaintainerScripts|title=Debian Maintainer Scripts|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=11 Oct 2012|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref>
* '''config''' is an optional script that supports the [[debconf (software package)|debconf]] configuration mechanism.<ref>{{cite web |author=Joey Hess |date=n.d. |title=The Debconf Programmer's Tutorial - The Config Script |url=https://www.fifi.org/doc/debconf-doc/tutorial.html#AEN113 |access-date=26 Aug 2016 |website=fifi.org}}</ref>
* '''shlibs''' list of shared library dependencies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://manpages.debian.org/unstable/dpkg-shlibdeps.1|title=dpkg-shlibdeps(1) man page|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|website=manpages.debian.org|access-date=2017-04-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-sharedlibs.html#s-sharedlibs-depends|title=Debian Policy - 8.6 Dependencies between the library and other packages|author=<!--Staff writers; no by-line.-->|date=30 Mar 2016|website=debian.org|access-date=26 Aug 2016}}</ref>