A package is a binary file containing a piece of software plus metadata for a Linux distribution. The metadata contains information about the context in which a package may be installed, e.g. names of other packages on which a package depends. There are different package formats like .rpm or .ipk.

Packages are installed on the target using a package manager like rpm, opkg, or smart.

Packages are either copied to the target and then installed or, better, provided in a network on a Package Server.

Further Reading

• https://blogs.mentor.com/chrishallinan/blog/2012/04/27/more-on-yocto-terminology-recipes-and-packages/
• http://www.yoctoproject.org/docs/latest/mega-manual/mega-manual.html