{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "DEBSNAP",
    "section": "",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/DEBSNAP/json",
    "generated": "2026-10-22T12:53:08Z",
    "synopsis": "debsnap [options] package [version]\ndebsnap [-h | --help] [--version]",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "debsnap - retrieve old snapshots of Debian packages\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "debsnap [options] package [version]\n\ndebsnap [-h | --help] [--version]\n\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "debsnap  is  a  tool  to  help with retrieving snapshots of old packages from a daily archive\nrepository.\n\nThe only publicly available snapshot archive is  currently  located  at  https://snapshot.de‐\nbian.org\n\nBy  default,  debsnap  will download all the available versions for package that are found in\nthe snapshot archive.  If a version is specified, only that particular version will be  down‐\nloaded, if available.\n\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "The following options are available:\n\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-d _ --destdir _",
                    "content": "Directory to place retrieved packages.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-d",
                    "long": "--destdir"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-f --force",
                    "content": "Force writing into an existing destination.  By default debsnap will insist the desti‐\nnation  directory  does not exist yet unless it is explicitly specified to be '.' (the\ncurrent working directory).  This is to avoid files being accidentally overwritten  by\nwhat  is  fetched  from  the archive and to provide a guarantee for other scripts that\nonly the files fetched will be present there upon completion.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-f",
                    "long": "--force"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-v --verbose",
                    "content": "Report on the debsnap configuration being used and progress during the download opera‐\ntion.  Please always use this option when reporting bugs.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-v",
                    "long": "--verbose"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-l --list",
                    "content": "Don't download but just list versions.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-l",
                    "long": "--list"
                },
                {
                    "name": "--binary",
                    "content": "Download binary packages instead of source packages.\n\n",
                    "long": "--binary"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-a --architecture",
                    "content": "Specify architecture of downloaded binary packages. Implies  --binary.   This  can  be\ngiven multiple times in order to download binary packages for multiple architectures.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-a",
                    "long": "--architecture"
                },
                {
                    "name": "--first",
                    "content": "Specify the minimum version of a package which will be downloaded.  Any versions which\ncompare  larger than this, according to dpkg, will be considered for download.  May be\nused in combination with --last.\n\n\n--last Specify the maximum version of a package which will be downloaded.  Any  package  ver‐\nsions  which  compare  less than this, according to dpkg, will be considered for down‐\nload.  May be used in combination with --first.\n\n",
                    "long": "--first"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-h --help",
                    "content": "Show a summary of these options.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-h",
                    "long": "--help"
                },
                {
                    "name": "--version",
                    "content": "Show the version of debsnap.\n\n\n",
                    "long": "--version"
                }
            ]
        },
        "CONFIGURATION OPTIONS": {
            "content": "debsnap may also be configured through the use of the following  options  in  the  devscripts\nconfiguration files:\n\n\nDEBSNAPVERBOSE\nSame as the command line option --verbose.  Set to yes to enable.\n\n\nDEBSNAPDESTDIR\nSet  a  default  path for the destination directory.  If unset ./source-<packagename>\nwill be used.  The command line option --destdir will override this.\n\n\nDEBSNAPBASEURL\nThe base url for the snapshots archive.\n\nIf unset this defaults to https://snapshot.debian.org\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXIT STATUS": {
            "content": "debsnap will return an exit status of 0 if all operations succeeded, 1 if a fatal  error  oc‐\ncurred,  and 2 if some packages failed to be downloaded but operations otherwise succeeded as\nexpected.  In some cases packages may fail to be downloaded because they are no longer avail‐\nable on the snapshot mirror, so any caller should expect this may occur in normal use.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "EXAMPLES": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "debsnap -a amd64 xterm 256-1",
                    "content": "Download the binary package of a specific xterm version for amd64 architecture.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "debsnap -a armel xterm",
                    "content": "Download binary packages for all versions of xterm for armel architecture.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "debsnap --binary xterm 256-1",
                    "content": "Download binary packages for a specific xterm version but for all architectures.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "debsnap --binary xterm",
                    "content": "Download binary packages for all versions of xterm for all architectures.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "debsnap -v --first 347-1 --last 348-2 xterm",
                    "content": "Download source packages for local architecture of xterm, between 347-1 and 348-2  re‐\nvisions, inclusive, showing the progress when doing it.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "aptitude search '~i' -F '%p %V' | while read pkg ver; do debsnap -a $(dpkg-architecture",
                    "content": ""
                },
                {
                    "name": "-qDEB_HOST_ARCH) -a all $pkg $ver; done",
                    "content": "Download binary packages of all packages that are installed on the system.\n\n",
                    "flag": "-a"
                }
            ]
        },
        "FILES": {
            "content": "/etc/devscripts.conf\nGlobal devscripts configuration options.  Will override hardcoded defaults.\n\n~/.devscripts\nPer-user configuration options.  Will override any global configuration.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "devscripts(1), devscripts.conf(5), git-debimport(1)\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHORS": {
            "content": "David Paleino <dapal@debian.org>\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "COPYRIGHT": {
            "content": "Copyright © 2010 David Paleino\n\nPermission  is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the\nGNU General Public License, Version 3 or (at your option) any later version published by  the\nFree Software Foundation.\n\nOn  Debian  systems,  the  complete  text  of  the GNU General Public License can be found in\n/usr/share/common-licenses/GPL.\n\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "BUGS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "Reporting bugs",
                    "content": "The program is part of the devscripts package.   Please  report  bugs  using  `reportbug  de‐\nvscripts`\n\n\nDebian devscripts                           July 3, 2010                                  DEBSNAP(1)"
                }
            ]
        }
    },
    "summary": "debsnap - retrieve old snapshots of Debian packages",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-d",
            "long": "--destdir",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Directory to place retrieved packages."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-f",
            "long": "--force",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Force writing into an existing destination. By default debsnap will insist the desti‐ nation directory does not exist yet unless it is explicitly specified to be '.' (the current working directory). This is to avoid files being accidentally overwritten by what is fetched from the archive and to provide a guarantee for other scripts that only the files fetched will be present there upon completion."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-v",
            "long": "--verbose",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Report on the debsnap configuration being used and progress during the download opera‐ tion. Please always use this option when reporting bugs."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-l",
            "long": "--list",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Don't download but just list versions."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--binary",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Download binary packages instead of source packages."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-a",
            "long": "--architecture",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Specify architecture of downloaded binary packages. Implies --binary. This can be given multiple times in order to download binary packages for multiple architectures."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--first",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Specify the minimum version of a package which will be downloaded. Any versions which compare larger than this, according to dpkg, will be considered for download. May be used in combination with --last. --last Specify the maximum version of a package which will be downloaded. Any package ver‐ sions which compare less than this, according to dpkg, will be considered for down‐ load. May be used in combination with --first."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-h",
            "long": "--help",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Show a summary of these options."
        },
        {
            "flag": "",
            "long": "--version",
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Show the version of debsnap."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [
        "Download the binary package of a specific xterm version for amd64 architecture.",
        "Download binary packages for all versions of xterm for armel architecture.",
        "Download binary packages for a specific xterm version but for all architectures.",
        "Download binary packages for all versions of xterm for all architectures.",
        "Download source packages for local architecture of xterm, between 347-1 and 348-2  re‐",
        "visions, inclusive, showing the progress when doing it.",
        "Download binary packages of all packages that are installed on the system."
    ],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "devscripts",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/devscripts/1/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "devscripts.conf",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/devscripts.conf/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "git-debimport",
            "section": "1",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/git-debimport/1/json"
        }
    ]
}