Application Packaging Developer's Guide

What Are Packages?

Application software is delivered in units called packages. A package is a collection of files and directories required for a software product, and is usually designed and built by the application developer after completing the development of the application code. A software product needs to be built into one or more packages so that it can easily be transferred to a distribution medium, be mass produced, and installed by administrators.

A package is a collection of files and directories in a defined format. This format conforms to the Application Binary Interface (ABI), which is a supplement to the System V Interface Definition.