This script creates .deb archive packages for all the programs currently installed on a system. Download link: Pack Attack – Repackage Debian Archives

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# Pack Attack : generate Debian packages from running Debian system.
# This should work on any distro with apt-get package manager.
# This is useful to back up all your programs, reinstall, or install elsewhere.
#
# COPYRIGHT & LICENSE
#
# (c) 2021, nightbulb.net - Use of this software is subject to the BSD license.
# ping the email autoresponder auto@nightbulb.net for contact information.
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# What this script does:
#
#   1. generates a list of all installed Debian packages;
#   2. checks for installation of 'dpkg-repack' and installs if needed;
#   3. creates a new directory;
#   4. re-creates the Debian (.deb) archives in the new directory
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# USAGE INSTRUCTION
#
#   1. copy the script file to the desired directory
#   2. run the terminal command 'chmod +x pack.attack.bash' on the file
#   3. from terminal run the command './pack.attack.bash'
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


# BEGIN

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# check for 'dpkg-repack' and install it if missing
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

echo "checking for program 'dpkg-repack'"

rollcall="here"

if [ ! -f /bin/dpkg-repack ]
then
    if [ ! -f /usr/bin/dpkg-repack ]
    then
        rollcall="absent"
    fi
fi

if [ "$rollcall" = "absent" ]
then
    echo "dpkg-repack must be installed to continue"
    sudo apt-get install dpkg-repack
fi

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# make a temporary directory to avoid over-writing any existing files
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

pack_dir="pack.attack.$RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM$RANDOM"

echo "making new work directory : $pack_dir"
mkdir "$pack_dir"

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# switch to new directory
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

echo "moving to new work directory : $pack_dir"

cd "$pack_dir"

echo "moved to $PWD"

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# make list of all installed packages
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

echo "generating list of all packages installed on this system"

apt list --installed | grep "\[installed\]" | cut -d '/' -f1 > "pack.attack.list"

# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# repackage all the programs from the list into .deb files
# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

echo "repackaging the list of programs ... this may take a long time ..."

while read line
do

    dpkg-repack "$line"

done < "pack.attack.list"

echo ""

echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
echo "pack attack : job finished"
echo "your Debian archive files are located in $PWD"
echo "~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"


# END