Use RPM and YUM Package Management Zypper

Zypper is the powerful command-line package manager for SUSE Linux and openSUSE, providing functionality similar to YUM and APT. It enables you to install, update, and remove packages, automatically resolving dependencies. Because Zypper relies on up-to-date repository metadata, it’s best practice to refresh before performing searches or installations.

Note

You need sudo privileges to run Zypper commands that modify the system.
Always refresh metadata to ensure you get the latest package versions.

Refreshing Package Metadata

Before you search or install packages, update metadata from all enabled repositories:

sudo zypper refresh

This fetches the latest repository data so Zypper can see available package versions.

Searching for Packages

Use the se (search) command to find packages by name or keyword:

sudo zypper se gnumeric

Sample output:

Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
S | Name           | Summary                         | Type
--+----------------+---------------------------------+--------
  | gnumeric       | Spreadsheet application         | package
  | gnumeric-devel | Development files for Gnumeric  | package
  | gnumeric-doc   | Documentation for Gnumeric      | package
  | gnumeric-lang  | Translations for Gnumeric       | package

Listing Installed Packages

To list all installed packages:

sudo zypper se -i

To check if a specific package (e.g., firefox) is installed:

sudo zypper se -i firefox

Example when Firefox is installed:

Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
S | Name                           | Summary                     | Type
--+--------------------------------+-----------------------------+--------
i | MozillaFirefox                 | Mozilla Firefox Web Browser | package
  | MozillaFirefox-branding-openSUSE | Branding files for openSUSE | package
  | MozillaFirefox-translations-common | Common translations     | package

Installing Packages

From Repositories

Install a package from enabled repositories with the in (install) command:

sudo zypper in unrar

Interactive example:

Resolving package dependencies...
The following NEW package is going to be installed:
  unrar

1 new package to install.
Overall download size: 141.2 KiB. After the operation, additional 301.6 KiB will be used.
Continue? [y/n/v/...? shows all options] (y): y
Retrieving package unrar-5.7.5-lp151.1.1.x86_64 ...................................[done]
(1/1) Installing: unrar-5.7.5-lp151.1.1.x86_64 ..........................................[done]

From a Local RPM

To install an RPM file stored on your machine:

sudo zypper in /path/to/package.rpm

Zypper will attempt to resolve dependencies against your enabled repositories.

Removing Packages

Use the rm (remove) command to uninstall a package and any packages that depend on it:

sudo zypper rm unrar

Example:

Resolving package dependencies...
The following package is going to be REMOVED:
  unrar

1 package to remove.
After the operation, 301.6 KiB will be freed.
Continue? [y/n/v/...? shows all options] (y): y
(1/1) Removing unrar-5.7.5-lp151.1.1.x86_64 ..........................................[done]

Warning

Removing packages may also uninstall dependencies required by other applications. Double-check the list before confirming.

Managing Software Repositories

Listing Repositories

Display all configured repositories and their status:

sudo zypper repos

Sample output:

# | Alias                      | Name                                | Enabled | GPG Check | Refresh
--+----------------------------+-------------------------------------+---------+-----------+--------
1 | openSUSE-Leap-15.1-1       | openSUSE-Leap-15.1-1               | No      | ----      | ----
2 | repo-non-oss               | Non-OSS Repository                  | Yes     | (r) Yes   | Yes
3 | repo-oss                   | Main Repository                     | Yes     | (r) Yes   | Yes
4 | repo-source                | Source Repository                   | No      | ----      | ----

Enabled = Yes means active; No means disabled.

Enabling, Disabling, and Auto-Refresh

Command	Description
`zypper modifyrepo -d <repo-alias>`	Disable a repository
`zypper modifyrepo -e <repo-alias>`	Enable a repository
`zypper modifyrepo -f <repo-alias>`	Enable auto-refresh for a repo
`zypper modifyrepo -F <repo-alias>`	Disable auto-refresh for a repo

Example:

# Disable
sudo zypper modifyrepo -d repo-non-oss

# Enable
sudo zypper modifyrepo -e repo-non-oss

# Enable auto-refresh
sudo zypper modifyrepo -f repo-non-oss

# Disable auto-refresh
sudo zypper modifyrepo -F repo-non-oss

Adding and Removing Repositories

Add a new repository:

sudo zypper addrepo http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE-Leap_15.1/packman packman

Sample output:

Adding repository 'packman' ...........................[done]
Repository 'packman' successfully added
URI         : http://packman.inode.at/suse/openSUSE-Leap_15.1/
Enabled     : Yes
GPG Check   : Yes
Autorefresh : No
Priority    : 99 (default)

Remove a repository:

sudo zypper removerepo packman

Sample output:

Removing repository 'packman' ........................[done]
Repository 'packman' has been removed.

Links and References

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