Packages & installers

A package bundles a program with its files and a description of how to install it. Many are archives underneath, a ZIP or an ar file with a fixed set of entries, so the same tools can often look inside them.

Formats

.APK

Android package

Android apps: a signed ZIP of DEX code, resources and a manifest.

.DEB

Debian package

Software for Debian and Ubuntu: an ar archive of control and data tarballs.

.JAR

Java archive

Java programs and libraries: class files and a manifest in a ZIP.

.MSI

Windows Installer package

Windows install packages: a database of tables inside a compound file.