

Once the repository is enabled, update the packages index and install the alien package with: sudo apt update sudo apt install alien Install Alien #Īlien is a tool that supports conversion between Red Hat rpm, Debian deb, Stampede slp, Slackware tgz, and Solaris pkg file formats.īefore installing the alien package, make sure the Universe repository is enabled on your system: sudo add-apt-repository universe Doing this may lead to errors and system instability. You should never use this method to replace or update important system packages, like libc, systemd, or other services and libraries that are essential for the proper functioning of your system.


Installing RPM packaged on Ubuntu may lead to package dependency conflicts. Not all RPM packages can be installed on Ubuntu. Whenever possible, you should prefer installing software from the Ubuntu repositories. This is not the recommended way to install software packages in Ubuntu. Luckily, there is a tool called alien that allows us to install an RPM file on Ubuntu or to convert an RPM package file into a Debian package file. RPM is a package format used by Red Hat and its derivatives such as CentOS. Generally, when the software vendor does not provide a repository, they will have a download page from where you can download and install the deb package or download and compile the software from sources.Īlthough not so often, some software may be distributed only as an RPM package. Some packages are not available in the standard Ubuntu repositories but they can be easily installed by enabling the appropriate source. Deb is the installation package format used by all Debian based distributions, including Ubuntu. The Ubuntu repositories contain thousands of deb packages which can be installed from the Ubuntu Software Center or by using the aptĬommand-line utility.
