What is yum and how do I use it?

Solution Verified - Updated

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

Issue

  • Where can I find a guide to yum?
  • How do I install an RPM using yum?
  • Can I use yum to find which rpm provides a particular binary?
  • Is there a command reference for yum?

Resolution

What is yum?

yum is the primary tool for getting, installing, deleting, querying, and managing Red Hat Enterprise Linux RPM software packages from official Red Hat software repositories, as well as other third-party repositories. yum is used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 5 and later. Versions of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and earlier used up2date.

How do I use yum?


The [Yum Command Cheat Sheet for Red Hat Enterprise Linux](https://access.redhat.com/articles/yum-cheat-sheet) contains a reference card outlining the common use cases for the `yum` command. There is a PDF version available for download at the bottom of that page.

Learn More

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

  • The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 System Administrator's Guide covers yum usage in Chapter 7: Yum.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6

  • The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Deployment Guide covers yum usage in Chapter 7: Yum.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

  • The Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Deployment Guide covers yum usage in Chapter 14: Yum.
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