RPM and YUM Installation in Linux

By Pooja | 23rd July 2025

Introduction

DevOps thrives on automation, speed, and efficiency, and package management plays a crucial role in achieving these goals. In Linux-based environments, particularly those based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and its derivatives like CentOS, AlmaLinux, and Rocky Linux, two essential tools for managing packages are RPM and YUM.

Understanding how to install, update, remove, and query software using RPM and YUM is vital for DevOps professionals who regularly configure build agents, deploy applications, automate infrastructure, and manage large fleets of servers. This article will cover both RPM and YUM comprehensively from a DevOps perspective.

What is RPM?

RPM stands for Red Hat Package Manager. It is a low-level package management system used for installing, updating, verifying, and removing software packages in .rpm format.

Key characteristics:

Does not resolve dependencies automatically.
Works directly with .rpm files.
Provides robust command-line tools.
Preferred when working in air-gapped environments or with custom-built software.

What is YUM?

YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified) is a higher-level front-end tool built on top of RPM. It simplifies package management by:

Automatically resolving dependencies.
Fetching packages from online or local repositories.
Providing group installations and update management.

DNF (Dandified YUM) is the modern replacement for YUM in newer RHEL-based systems, offering better performance and dependency resolution.

Importance of RPM and YUM in DevOps

In DevOps workflows, RPM and YUM are critical for:

Automating software installation during server provisioning.
Creating reproducible environments in CI/CD pipelines.
Patching and securing systems through package updates.
Customizing application stacks on bare-metal or virtual machines.
Managing software versioning and dependencies effectively.

For configuration management tools like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet, YUM modules are commonly used to install required packages before application deployment.

RPM vs. YUM: Key Differences

Feature	RPM	YUM
Dependency Handling	Manual	Automatic
Usage	Low-level, granular	High-level, user-friendly
Source	Local .rpm files	Remote repositories or local
Speed	Faster but limited	Slower but more powerful
Use Case	Custom packages, scripting	Regular updates, automation

Both tools can be used together, but YUM is usually preferred for ease and automation.

Installing Software with RPM

Downloading a .rpm File

Example: Install Docker using RPM

bash

CopyEdit

wget https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.rpm

Installing with RPM

bash

CopyEdit

sudo rpm -ivh docker-ce.rpm

-i: Install
-v: Verbose
-h: Print hash marks (progress)

Upgrading a Package

bash

CopyEdit

sudo rpm -Uvh docker-ce.rpm

Removing a Package

bash

CopyEdit

sudo rpm -e docker-ce

Checking Installed Packages

bash

CopyEdit

rpm -qa | grep docker

Common RPM Commands

Command	Purpose
rpm -i package.rpm	Install a package
rpm -U package.rpm	Upgrade a package
rpm -e package	Remove a package
rpm -qa	Query all installed packages
rpm -qi package	Get detailed package information
rpm -ql package	List installed files from package
rpm -V package	Verify integrity

These commands are useful for scripting package audits and ensuring system consistency.

YUM Basics and How It Works

YUM reads repository metadata to perform package management. Repositories are configured under:

bash

CopyEdit

/etc/yum.repos.d/

Each .repo file contains:

ini

CopyEdit

[docker-ce]

name=Docker CE Repository

baseurl=https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/7/x86_64/stable

enabled=1

gpgcheck=1

YUM uses this metadata to resolve dependencies and fetch packages.

Installing Software with YUM

Installing Packages

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum install git

YUM resolves and installs all required dependencies.

Installing Multiple Packages

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum install nginx mysql vim -y

Removing Packages

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum remove mysql

Upgrading All Packages

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum update -y

This is often used in patch management automation for security.

More deep into this Linux Server Installation

Managing Repositories with YUM

You can enable or disable repositories as needed:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum-config-manager –disable epel

sudo yum-config-manager –enable extras

You can also add custom repositories by creating .repo files in /etc/yum.repos.d/.

Example (local repo):

ini

CopyEdit

[localrepo]

name=Local Repository

baseurl=file:///mnt/repo/

enabled=1

gpgcheck=0

YUM Groups and Modules

YUM supports installing software groups (meta-packages):

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum group list

sudo yum groupinstall “Development Tools”

This is useful for installing build environments or desktops.

Modular Repos

Some packages have multiple versions available via modules.

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum module list php

sudo yum module enable php:7.4

sudo yum install php

This allows precise version control in automated environments.

Security and Updates

Keep systems secure by regularly updating packages:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum update

You can also install security-only updates (RHEL/CentOS with subscription):

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum update –security

Regular patching is essential for compliance and reducing vulnerability.

Automation with YUM in DevOps

Using Ansible:

yaml

CopyEdit

– name: Install required packages

yum:

name: “{{ item }}”

state: present

loop:

– nginx

– git

– python3

Using Shell Script:

bash

CopyEdit

#!/bin/bash

yum update -y

yum install nginx -y

systemctl enable nginx

systemctl start nginx

This kind of automation is integrated in Jenkins jobs, Terraform scripts, and cloud-init processes.

Real-World Use Cases

Provisioning CI Agents: Use YUM to install Java, Docker, Node.js.
Security Updates: Automate with cron and yum-cron.
Offline Installations: Download .rpm and use RPM for air-gapped VMs.
Immutable Infrastructure: Bake .rpm installs into Packer images.
Custom Repositories: Set up internal repos for enterprise packages.

Best Practices

Always use -y for automated scripts to avoid prompts.
Avoid using RPM unless dependency resolution is handled.
Clean YUM cache regularly:

bash

CopyEdit

sudo yum clean all

Use yum history to audit changes:

bash

CopyEdit

yum history list

yum history undo <transaction-id>

Secure repos by enabling GPG signature verification.

Conclusion

RPM and YUM are foundational tools in the DevOps toolkit for managing packages on RHEL-based Linux distributions. Whether it’s provisioning build agents, automating deployments, or applying security patches, RPM and YUM provide the flexibility, control, and power required in modern DevOps workflows.

YUM, with its repository integration and dependency resolution, makes large-scale system management and automation easy. RPM, on the other hand, gives you fine-grained control when needed. Understanding both empowers DevOps professionals to build robust, repeatable, and secure infrastructure across physical, virtual, and cloud environments.

Explore Our Recent Blogs

Terraform

Call Our Course Advisors + 91 7676370336 (Bangalore) | +91 84319 66507 (Coimbatore)