lpack

A lightweight Linux packaging system and portable package manager for distributing applications across distributions using a standard .lpk format.

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What is lpack?

lpack is a production-ready package tool built to simplify Linux application distribution.

It provides:

• A lightweight portable package format
• Easy package building
• Clean install/remove workflows
• Portable app deployment
• Minimal dependencies
• Manifest-driven packaging

The package format used is:

.lpk

NOTE: .lpk is a compressed archive with a small obfuscated manifest.

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Features

• Build portable .lpk packages
• Install packages locally or system-wide
• Remove installed packages cleanly
• Search installed packages
• Desktop entry support
• Symlink executable management
• Version-aware installation and upgrades
• Minimal Rust-based implementation

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How It Works

lpack packages are composed of:

1. A compressed archive
2. Application files and resources
3. A small obfuscated manifest for metadata

The builder:

• Reads manifest.lpack
• Collects application files
• Generates metadata
• Packages everything into .lpk

The installer:

• Extracts the package
• Reads the obfuscated manifest
• Installs files
• Creates executable symlinks
• Writes desktop entries

The remover:

• Removes installed files and directories
• Removes symlinks
• Removes desktop entries cleanly

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Installation

Requirements

• Rust 1.70+ (stable)
• Linux

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Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/bytesketch/lpack.git
cd lpack

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Build From Source

make build

The compiled binary is available at:

target/release/lpack

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Install system-wide (sudo needed)

make install

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CLI Usage

Build Package

lpack build # CWD

or

lpack build /path/to/project

Silent Mode

lpack build . --silent

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Install Package

User install

lpack install app.lpk

System-wide install

sudo lpack install app.lpk --system-wide

WARNING

Don't do

sudo lpack install app.lpk # NOTE: Here is no '--system-wide'

If done, remove immedietly by

sudo lpack search
sudo lpack remove package.app # NOTE: replace package.app with real package

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Remove Package

User package

lpack remove my-package

System-wide package

sudo lpack remove my-package --system-wide

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Search Installed Packages

List packages

lpack search

Inspect a package

lpack search my-package

NOTE: To search system-wide installed packages, add --system-wide. The default scans local installations.

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Package Manifest

manifest.lpack

Example:

{
  "package": {
    "name": "My App",
    "package": "my-app",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "authors": ["yourname"]
  },

  "description": "Example lpack application",
  "build_path": "build",

  "app": {
    "binary": "bin/my-app",
    "entry": "myapp"
  },

  "desktop": {
    "name": "My App",
    "icon": "res/icon.png",
    "exec": "my-app --gui"
  },

  "include": {
    "README.md": "docs/README.md"
  }
}

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Goals

• Simplicity
• Minimalism
• Cross-distro portability
• Easy developer workflow
• Clean package management
• Fully scriptable

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Limitations

Current limitations include:

• No dependency resolution
• No remote repositories
• No package signing
• No sandboxing
• No delta updates
• No automatic updates
• No rollback support

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Tech Stack

• Rust
• Clap
• Serde
• Zip
• WalkDir

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Why I Built This

This project was built to simplify Linux application distribution with a portable packaging format.

It is designed as:

• A practical package manager
• A distro-agnostic packaging tool
• A Linux application distribution helper

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Examples

You can install .lpk packages locally or system-wide with:

sudo lpack install app.lpk --system-wide

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Contributing

Contributions, ideas, and fixes are welcome.

Feel free to:

• Open issues
• Suggest improvements
• Fork the project
• Test on different distros

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License

MIT License. See LICENSE for full info.

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Author

Ali Ahmad @bytesketch

Built with Rust and Linux tooling.