One of the nice things about the Debian-based package library for the Raspberry Pi is that many packages are offered in a modular form, so that you can select which components you need for your particular configuration (examples include Apache2, PHP, NGinx, etc.,).

One of the frustrating things about Debian-based packaging on the Raspberry Pi is that when you get to a point where you want to install one of these complex, multi-part packages, there does not seem to be any form of central reference that can explain in more detail what each constituent part delivers and in what circumstances it might be required.

Very interested if anyone has any insights as to how best to navigate "component selection" for multi-part packages like this? Is it simply a case of tracking down the project's own documentation and working it out from there, or is there a useful resource that can serve as a guide?

Thanks in advance for suggestions!