Managing Software With DNF

This lesson covers managing software with DNF — the primary package manager for modern Red Hat–based Linux distributions (RHEL, CentOS Stream, Fedora). Use DNF for day-to-day package management: searching repositories, installing/removing packages, handling dependencies, applying updates, and managing package groups. RPM remains the low-level tool that performs the actual install/remove operations on .rpm files; DNF operates on top of RPM and resolves dependencies automatically.

A dark-themed presentation slide titled "RPM vs DNF" comparing the two package tools. The left column lists RPM as a low-level tool that installs local .rpm files and doesn't resolve dependencies, while the right column lists DNF as a high-level manager that installs from repositories and automatically resolves dependencies.

DNF commands generally require root privileges — prepend sudo or run as root when performing installs, updates, or removals.

RPM vs DNF — quick comparison

Tool	Purpose	Typical usage
RPM	Low-level package utility	Install individual `.rpm` files, verify packages, query package metadata
DNF	High-level package manager built on RPM	Install packages from repositories, resolve and install dependencies, update and remove packages, manage groups

Common DNF operations (cheat sheet)

Task	Command
Search packages	`sudo dnf search <term>`
Install package	`sudo dnf install <pkg>`
Reinstall package	`sudo dnf reinstall <pkg>`
Remove package	`sudo dnf remove <pkg>`
Install local RPM (with deps)	`sudo dnf install ./package.rpm`
List packages	`dnf list` / `dnf list installed` / `dnf list available`
Check for updates	`sudo dnf check-update`
Update system	`sudo dnf update`
Remove orphaned deps	`sudo dnf autoremove`
Manage groups	`sudo dnf group list` / `sudo dnf group install "Group Name"`

Searching for packages

Use dnf search to locate packages in enabled repositories. It performs word-based matching by default:

sudo dnf search web server

The above will match packages that contain either web or server. Example output might include:

$ sudo dnf search web server
Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:10 ago on ...
cockpit.x86_64 : Web Console for Linux servers

To search for an exact phrase (both terms together), wrap the phrase in quotes:

sudo dnf search 'web server'

This returns packages matching the phrase, for example:

$ sudo dnf search 'web server'
Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:10 ago on ...
nginx.x86_64 : A high-performance web server and reverse proxy server

Installing, reinstalling, and removing packages

Install a package from enabled repositories:

sudo dnf install nginx

If configuration files or package files become corrupted and you want to restore the installed package files, use:

sudo dnf reinstall nginx

To remove a package and its primary files:

sudo dnf remove nginx

If you have a downloaded .rpm file, prefer installing it with DNF so dependencies are resolved for you:

sudo wget https://download.nomachine.com/download/7.7/Linux/nomachine_7.7.4_1_x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./nomachine_7.7.4_1_x86_64.rpm

After removing packages, run dnf autoremove to purge orphaned dependencies that are no longer required:

sudo dnf autoremove

Checking for updates and applying them

Check for available updates without applying them:

sudo dnf check-update

Apply all available package updates from enabled repositories:

sudo dnf update

If a kernel or other core component is updated, a reboot may be required to load the new components.

Reboot after kernel updates or other critical system updates when prompted to ensure the running system uses the new components.

Listing packages

List all packages (installed and available from enabled repos):

dnf list

List only installed packages:

dnf list installed

List only packages available from enabled repositories:

dnf list available

Sample dnf list output (truncated):

xorg-x11-fonts-ethiopic.noarch            7.5-40.el10         rhel-10-for-x86_64-appstream-rpms
xorg-x11-fonts-misc.noarch                7.5-40.el10         rhel-10-for-x86_64-appstream-rpms
xorg-x11-proto-devel.noarch               2024.1-3.el10       rhel-10-for-x86_64-appstream-rpms
...
zstd.x86_64                               1.5.5-9.el10        rhel-10-for-x86_64-baseos-rpms

Example: Installing and removing Apache HTTP Server (httpd)

Search to verify the package is available:

sudo dnf search httpd

Example search output (truncated):

Last metadata expiration check: 0:09:21 ago on ...
===================================== Name Exactly Matched: httpd =====================================
httpd.x86_64 : Apache HTTP Server
===================================== Name & Summary Matched: httpd =====================================
httpd-core.x86_64 : httpd minimal core
keycloak-httpd-client-install.noarch : Tools to configure Apache HTTPD as Keycloak client
...

Install the Apache package:

sudo dnf install httpd

Get detailed package information after installation:

sudo dnf info httpd

Example dnf info output:

Last metadata expiration check: 0:09:52 ago on ...
Installed Packages
Name        : httpd
Version     : 2.4.63
Release     : 4.el10_1.3
Architecture: x86_64
Size        : 56 k
Source      : httpd-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.src.rpm
Repository  : @System
From repo   : rhel-10-for-x86_64-appstream-rpms
Summary     : Apache HTTP Server
URL         : https://httpd.apache.org/
License     : Apache-2.0 AND (BSD-3-Clause AND metmail AND HPND-sell-variant AND Spencer-94)
Description : The Apache HTTP Server is a powerful, efficient, and extensible
            : web server.

If httpd is up-to-date, running an update will indicate there is nothing to do:

sudo dnf update httpd
# Dependencies resolved.
# Nothing to do.
# Complete!

To remove Apache and its package components:

sudo dnf remove httpd

Sample removal transaction (truncated):

Running transaction
  Preparing        :                                                  1/1
  Running scriptlet: httpd-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.x86_64                      1/11
  Erasing          : httpd-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.x86_64                      1/11
  Erasing          : mod_lua-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.x86_64                    2/11
  Erasing          : mod_http2-2.0.29-3.el10.x86_64                      3/11
  ...
Removed:
  apr-1.7.5-2.el10.x86_64                      apr-util-1.6.3-23.el10_1.x86_64
  httpd-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.x86_64               httpd-core-2.4.63-4.el10_1.3.x86_64
  ...
Complete!

Managing package groups

DNF supports installing/removing predefined groups (environment groups and comps). This is useful for installing a set of related packages like container toolchains, development environments, or server roles. List groups:

sudo dnf group list

Show hidden groups too:

sudo dnf group list --hidden

Get detailed information about a group (wrap group names with spaces in quotes):

sudo dnf group info "Container Management"

Example output:

Last metadata expiration check: 0:00:10 ago on ...
Group: Container Management
    Description: Tools for managing Linux containers
    Mandatory Packages:
        buildah
        podman
    Optional Packages:
        python3-psutil
        toolbox

Install a group:

sudo dnf group install "Container Management"

Remove a group:

sudo dnf group remove "Container Management"

Confirm the removal when prompted.

Summary

DNF is the recommended day-to-day package manager for Red Hat–based systems. It:

Installs and removes packages from repositories.
Resolves and installs dependencies automatically.
Updates packages and the system.
Manages predefined package groups.
Uses RPM under the hood to perform low-level package operations.

Using DNF simplifies package management workflows, reduces dependency errors, and aligns with modern RHEL administration best practices.

Introduction

Working with the Command Line

File Management

Working with Text Files

Output Redirection

User Management

Linux Permissions

Enhanced Command Line

Storage Management

Managing Services

Controlling the Boot Process

Scheduling Future Tasks

Working with Logs

Installing Software

Process Management & Tuning

Managing Network Configuration and Security

SELinux

Configuring SSH

Managing Software With DNF

RPM vs DNF — quick comparison

Common DNF operations (cheat sheet)

Searching for packages

Installing, reinstalling, and removing packages

Checking for updates and applying them

Listing packages

Example: Installing and removing Apache HTTP Server (httpd)

Managing package groups

Summary

Links and references

Watch Video

​RPM vs DNF — quick comparison

​Common DNF operations (cheat sheet)

​Searching for packages

​Installing, reinstalling, and removing packages

​Checking for updates and applying them

​Listing packages

​Example: Installing and removing Apache HTTP Server (httpd)

​Managing package groups

​Summary

​Links and references

Watch Video

RPM vs DNF — quick comparison

Common DNF operations (cheat sheet)

Searching for packages

Installing, reinstalling, and removing packages

Checking for updates and applying them

Listing packages

Example: Installing and removing Apache HTTP Server (httpd)

Managing package groups

Summary

Links and references