FPM - Effing Package Management

Prerequisites

Before installing FPM, ensure you have the following:

Ruby (version 1.9 or higher, though 1.8 support was deprecated)
RubyGems package manager
Build tools for your platform (gcc, make, etc.)
Package development tools depending on your target platform:
- For RPM: rpm-build or rpmbuild
- For DEB: dpkg-dev
- For Solaris: pkgbuild

Installation

Via RubyGems (Recommended)

gem install fpm

From Source

git clone https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm.git
cd fpm
gem build fpm.gemspec
gem install fpm-*.gem

Verify Installation

fpm --version

Configuration

FPM doesn't require extensive configuration, but you can customize behavior through:

Environment Variables

DEBUG=1 - Enable debug output
CABIN_LEVEL=debug - Set logging level to debug

Command Line Options

Key options available for most package types:

# General options
fpm -s SOURCE_TYPE -t TARGET_TYPE [options]

# Common options
-C, --chdir DIR          Change directory before searching for files
-p, --package PATH       Output package file path
-f, --force              Overwrite existing files
--prefix PREFIX          Prefix for file paths in package

# Package metadata
--name NAME              Package name
--version VERSION        Package version
--iteration ITERATION    Package iteration/release
--description DESC       Package description
--maintainer EMAIL       Package maintainer

Build & Run

Basic Usage

# Create a DEB package from a directory
fpm -s dir -t deb -n myapp -v 1.0 /path/to/files

# Create an RPM package from a Python package
fpm -s python -t rpm Django

# Create a DEB package from a CPAN module
fpm -s cpan -t deb --cpanm-bin /usr/local/bin/cpanm Some::Module

Package-Specific Examples

Python Packages

# Install Django as a DEB package
fpm -s python -t deb Django

# Custom Python installation
fpm -s python -t rpm --pip /usr/bin/pip --pypi https://my.pypi.server/simple MyPackage

CPAN Packages

# Install a CPAN module as an RPM
fpm -s cpan -t rpm --mirror http://cpan.mirror/ Some::Module

RPM Conversion

# Convert an RPM to a DEB package
fpm -s rpm -t deb package.rpm

Deployment

FPM packages can be deployed to various platforms depending on the target format:

DEB Packages

Ubuntu/Debian: Use apt or dpkg
AWS: Deploy to EC2 instances with package managers
Docker: Include in Dockerfile with apt-get install

RPM Packages

Red Hat/CentOS/Fedora: Use yum or dnf
SUSE: Use zypper
AWS: Deploy to RHEL-based instances

Universal Deployment

For maximum compatibility, consider:

# Create multiple package formats simultaneously
fpm -s dir -t deb,rpm -n myapp -v 1.0 /path/to/files

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Permission Denied

# Run with sudo if needed
sudo fpm -s dir -t deb -n myapp -v 1.0 /path/to/files

Missing Dependencies

# For RPM builds
sudo yum install rpm-build

# For DEB builds
sudo apt-get install dpkg-dev

Ruby Version Issues

# Check Ruby version
ruby --version

# If using Ruby 1.8, upgrade to 1.9+

Package Already Exists

# Use --force to overwrite
fpm -s dir -t deb -n myapp -v 1.0 /path/to/files --force

Invalid Package Type

# Check available package types
fpm --help

# Available types include: dir, rpm, deb, python, gem, npm, pear, etc.

Debug Mode

Enable debug output for troubleshooting:

DEBUG=1 fpm -s dir -t deb -n myapp -v 1.0 /path/to/files

Support

IRC: #fpm on freenode
Email: fpm-users@googlegroups.com
Issues: https://github.com/jordansissel/fpm/issues

Known Limitations

CPAN support requires Ruby 1.9 or higher
Some package types may have platform-specific dependencies
Complex dependency resolution may require manual intervention

For specific package type issues, consult the relevant section in the FPM documentation or source code for detailed options and behaviors.

How to Deploy & Use jordansissel/fpm