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If I check my list of packages with dpkg -l I see that several packages are installed in "all" architectures. Then, if I run apt policy <name_of_package> with the name of a random package which it says is installed for all the architectures, I get this output (e.g. with adduser):

adduser:
  Installed: 3.118
  Candidate: 3.118
  Version table:
 *** 3.118 990
        990 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64 Packages
        990 http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main i386 Packages
        500 http://deb.debian.org/debian sid/main amd64 Packages
        500 http://deb.debian.org/debian sid/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

There is only one version of the package, plus I know that the triple asterisk means that version is installed.
Ok, but I can see 4 different sources, with different architectures and releases.
SO
How can I check which is installed? Or are they all installed, so I have installed 4 versions of the same package?

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adduser is an architecture-independent package; that’s what “all” means. It is identical across all architectures (usually because it contains interpreted scripts of one kind or another, or data).

Architecture-independent packages are included in all architecture-specific repositories, which is why you see the package in both amd64 and i386. In addition, Debian 10 and unstable currently have the same version of adduser.

You only have one version of the package installed. apt policy shows all the repositories which contain a given package, and that’s what you’re seeing here.

In other words, you currently have adduser_3.118_all.deb installed, and that packages is available from two repositories you have configured, in both architectures your dpkg is set up to support.

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  • so if the package is exactly the same in those 4 repositories, when I installed it, from which repository came the package? (I know, I didn't install that package, or maybe it came by default, but It was an example) @StephenKitt Commented Oct 13, 2019 at 20:56
  • Could you explain why it matters to you? (I’m not saying there’s no reason for it to matter, I’d like to understand what yours is.) The package would have been downloaded from whichever repository came first in apt’s ordering; I’d have to check what that would be exactly, but if I were to guess, probably http://deb.debian.org/debian buster/main amd64. Commented Oct 13, 2019 at 21:22

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