LinuxRPMS documentation

Linux RPM Command Guide

The rpm command installs, upgrades, removes and inspects RPM packages on Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, openSUSE and other RPM-based distributions. This guide covers the commands you'll use most.

rpm or dnf? rpm works on one package file at a time and does not download missing dependencies. For everyday installs from a repository, use dnf (or zypper on openSUSE). Use rpm to query what's installed, check package files, and install a single .rpm you've already downloaded.

Installing a package

Installing, upgrading and removing packages needs root, so run these with sudo.

sudo rpm -ivh package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

-i installs the package.
-v shows more detail.
-h prints a progress bar.

If rpm reports missing dependencies, install the file with dnf instead, which fetches them for you:

sudo dnf install ./package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

Upgrading a package

sudo rpm -Uvh package-name-1.1-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

-U upgrades the package, or installs it if it isn't installed yet. To upgrade only packages that are already installed, use -F (freshen):

sudo rpm -Fvh *.rpm

Removing a package

Use the package name, not the file name:

sudo rpm -e package-name

To see what would happen without removing anything, add --test:

sudo rpm -e --test package-name

Querying installed packages

Task	Command
List every installed package	`rpm -qa`
Check whether a package is installed	`rpm -q package-name`
Show a package's description, version and vendor	`rpm -qi package-name`
List the files a package installed	`rpm -ql package-name`
List only its configuration files	`rpm -qc package-name`
List only its documentation files	`rpm -qd package-name`
Find which package owns a file	`rpm -qf /usr/bin/ssh`
Show what a package needs	`rpm -qR package-name`
Show recent changes to a package	`rpm -q --changelog package-name \| less`
List packages by install date, newest first	`rpm -qa --last \| head`

To search the list of installed packages, pipe it through grep:

rpm -qa | grep -i openssl

Looking inside a package file

Add -p to query an .rpm file you haven't installed yet:

rpm -qip package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm   # description and version
rpm -qlp package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm   # files it would install
rpm -qRp package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm   # what it needs

To unpack the files without installing anything, use rpm2cpio:

rpm2cpio package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm | cpio -idmv

Verifying packages

Check a package's signature

Before installing a package you downloaded, check that it's signed and hasn't been changed:

rpm -K package-name-1.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm

If the result says the key is missing, import the distribution's signing key first. For example, on AlmaLinux 9:

sudo rpm --import https://repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/RPM-GPG-KEY-AlmaLinux-9

To list the keys you've already imported:

rpm -q gpg-pubkey --qf '%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}\t%{SUMMARY}\n'

Check installed files

Compare installed files with what the package originally put on disk:

rpm -V package-name   # one package
rpm -Va               # every package (slow)

No output means nothing changed. Otherwise each line starts with codes for what's different, such as 5 (contents), S (size), M (permissions) or T (modification time). A c before the file name marks a configuration file, which is often changed on purpose.

Custom output

--queryformat (or --qf) prints just the fields you want. This lists every package with its version and size, largest first:

rpm -qa --qf '%{SIZE}\t%{NAME}-%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}\n' | sort -rn | head -20

Run rpm --querytags to see every field you can use.

Troubleshooting

"Failed dependencies"

The package needs other packages that aren't installed. Install it with sudo dnf install ./file.rpm so dnf can fetch them. Avoid --nodeps: it installs the package anyway and usually leaves it broken.

"Package is already installed"

Use -U to upgrade instead of -i. To reinstall the same version, use sudo dnf reinstall package-name.

RPM database errors

If rpm reports a damaged database, rebuild it:

sudo rpm --rebuilddb

Need help?

Looking for a specific package? Sign in to your account and use Search RPMs in the dashboard, or browse the mirror directory. For anything else, email hostmaster@linuxrpms.com.