yum Command
Beginner Package Management man(1)Package manager for older RPM-based systems (legacy)
👁 7 views
📅 Updated: Mar 15, 2026
SYNTAX
yum [OPTION]... COMMAND [PACKAGE]...
What Does yum Do?
yum (Yellowdog Updater Modified) is the legacy package manager for RHEL, CentOS, and Fedora. It manages RPM packages with automatic dependency resolution. On RHEL 8+, yum is an alias for dnf.
yum has been the standard Red Hat package manager for over a decade. While dnf is the official successor, yum commands still work on all RPM-based distributions and are found in most existing documentation.
yum uses repositories configured in /etc/yum.repos.d/ to find and download packages.
yum has been the standard Red Hat package manager for over a decade. While dnf is the official successor, yum commands still work on all RPM-based distributions and are found in most existing documentation.
yum uses repositories configured in /etc/yum.repos.d/ to find and download packages.
Options & Flags
| Option | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| install | Install packages | sudo yum install httpd |
| remove | Remove packages | sudo yum remove httpd |
| update | Update packages | sudo yum update -y |
| search | Search for packages | yum search php |
| info | Show package info | yum info nginx |
| list installed | List installed packages | yum list installed |
| groupinstall | Install a package group | sudo yum groupinstall 'Development Tools' |
Practical Examples
#1 Install package
Installs nginx with auto-confirmation.
$ sudo yum install -y nginx#2 Update system
Updates all installed packages.
$ sudo yum update -y#3 Search packages
Searches for PHP-related packages.
$ yum search php#4 Clean cache
Clears cached package data to free space.
$ sudo yum clean all#5 Install EPEL
Installs the EPEL repository for additional packages.
$ sudo yum install epel-releaseTips & Best Practices
yum is dnf on RHEL 8+: On RHEL 8+, CentOS Stream, and Fedora, yum is a symlink to dnf. Your yum commands automatically use dnf.
Use dnf for new work: For new scripts and documentation, use dnf instead of yum. dnf is faster and better at dependency resolution.
RHEL 7 end of life: RHEL/CentOS 7 (which uses real yum) reached end of life. Upgrade to RHEL 8/9 which use dnf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is yum still supported?
On RHEL 8+, yum is an alias for dnf — it works fine. On RHEL 7, real yum works but the OS is end-of-life.
What is the difference between yum and dnf?
dnf is the modern replacement with better performance. On new systems, yum simply calls dnf. Use dnf for new work.
How do I clean the yum cache?
sudo yum clean all removes cached packages and metadata.
Related Commands
More Package Management Commands
Master Linux with Professional eBooks
Curated IT eBooks covering Linux, DevOps, Cloud, and more
Browse Books →