Debian Users' Manuals

Debian GNU/Linux FAQ

Users' Frequently Asked Questions.

Authors: Susan G. Kleinmann, Sven Rudolph, Santiago Vila, Josip Rodin, Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña
Maintainer: Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña
Status: ready
Availability: Debian package debian-faq

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


Debian Installation Guide

Installation instructions for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. The manual describes the installation process using the Debian Installer, the installation system for Debian that was first released with Sarge (Debian GNU/Linux 3.1).
Additional information related to the installation can be found in the Debian Installer FAQ and the Debian Installer wiki pages.

Authors: Debian Installer team
Maintainer: Debian Installer team
Status: The manual is not yet perfect. Active work is being done for the current and future Debian releases. Help is welcome, especially with non-x86 installation and translations. Contact [email protected] for more information.
Availability: Debian package installation-guide

Published version for the stable release
Available on the official full CDs and DVDs in the /doc/manual/ directory.

Version being prepared for the next stable (in testing)

Development version

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.

Versions of the installation guide for previous releases (and possibly the next release) of Debian are linked from the release page for those releases.


Debian Release Notes

This document contains information on what's new in the current Debian GNU/Linux distribution and complete upgrading information for users of older Debian releases.

Authors: Adam Di Carlo, Bob Hilliard, Josip Rodin, Anne Bezemer, Rob Bradford, Frans Pop, Andreas Barth, Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña, Steve Langasek
Status: Actively worked upon for Debian releases. Contact [email protected] for more information. Problems and patches should be reported as bugs against the release-notes pseudo-package.
Availability: Released version
Available on the official full CDs and DVDs in the /doc/release-notes/ directory.

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


Debian Reference Card

This card provides new users of Debian GNU/Linux with the most important commands in a single page to be used as a reference when working with Debian GNU/Linux systems. Basic (or better) knowledge of computers, files, directories and the command line is required.

Authors: W. Martin Borgert
Maintainer: W. Martin Borgert
Status: published; in active development
Availability: Debian package debian-refcard

Latest version:
  • Arabic: [PDF]
  • Bulgarian: [PDF]
  • Catalan: [PDF]
  • Czech: [PDF]
  • Danish: [PDF]
  • German: [PDF]
  • Greek: [PDF]
  • English: [PDF]
  • Spanish: [PDF]
  • Basque: [PDF]
  • Finnish: [PDF]
  • French: [PDF]
  • Galician: [PDF]
  • Hebrew: [PDF]
  • Hindi: [PDF]
  • Hungarian: [PDF]
  • Italian: [PDF]
  • Japanese: [PDF]
  • Korean: [PDF]
  • Lithuanian: [PDF]
  • Norwegian: [PDF]
  • Dutch: [PDF]
  • Polish: [PDF]
  • Portuguese: [PDF]
  • Portuguese: [PDF]
  • Romanian: [PDF]
  • Russian: [PDF]
  • Slovak: [PDF]
  • Swedish: [PDF]
  • Turkish: [PDF]
  • Vietnamese: [PDF]
  • Chinese: [PDF]
  • Chinese: [PDF]

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


The Debian Administrator's Handbook

The Debian Administrator's Handbook teaches the essentials to anyone who wants to become an effective and independent Debian GNU/Linux administrator.

Authors: Raphaël Hertzog, Roland Mas
Status: Published; in active development
Availability: Debian package debian-handbook

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


Debian Reference

This Debian GNU/Linux reference covers many aspects of system administration through shell-command examples. Basic tutorials, tips, and other information are provided for topics including system installation, Debian package management, the Linux kernel under Debian, system tuning, building a gateway, text editors, VCS, programming, and GnuPG.

Previously known as "Quick Reference".

Authors: Osamu Aoki (青木 修)
Maintainer: Osamu Aoki (青木 修)
Status: Published; in active development
Availability: Debian package debian-reference

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


Securing Debian Manual

This manual describes the security of the Debian GNU/Linux operating system and within the Debian project. It starts with the process of securing and hardening the default Debian GNU/Linux installation (both manually and automatically), covers some of the common tasks involved in setting up a secure user and network environment, gives information on the security tools available, steps to take before and after a compromise and also describes how security is enforced in Debian by the security team. The document includes a step by step hardening guide and within the appendix there is detailed information on how to setup an intrusion detection system and a bridge firewall with Debian GNU/Linux.

Authors: Alexander Reelsen, Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña
Maintainer: Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña
Status: Published; under development with few changes. Several topics are outdated.
Availability: Debian package harden-doc

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


aptitude user's manual

An introductory guide to the aptitude package manager with the complete command reference.

Authors: Daniel Burrows
Status: Published; in active development
Availability: Debian package aptitude-doc

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


APT User's Guide

This document provides an overview of how to use the APT package manager.

Authors: Jason Gunthorpe
Status: Published; stale since many years
Availability: Debian package apt-doc

Latest version:

The latest XML source is available through the Git repository.


Debian Java FAQ

The purpose of this FAQ is to be a place to look for all kind of questions a developer or user might have regarding Java as far as Debian is concerned, it includes license issues, development packages available, and programs related to building a Free Software Java environment.

Authors: Javier Fernández-Sanguino Peña, Torsten Werner, Niels Thykier, Sylvestre Ledru
Status: Published; in active development although some of its content might not be current.
Availability: Debian package java-policy

Latest version:

The latest SGML source is available through the Git repository.


Debian Hamradio Maintainer’s Guide

The Debian Hamradio Maintainers Guide is a document that outlines team policy and best current practice for the Deian Hamradio Maintainers packaging team.

Authors: Iain R. Learmonth
Status: Published; in active development.
Availability: Debian package hamradio-maintguide

Latest version:

The latest restructuredText source is available through the Git repository.