yum Command in Linux: Syntax, Options & Practical Examples (RHEL 7 / Legacy)

Deepak Prasad
Tested on RHEL 7.9
Package yum 3.4.3
Applies to RHEL
Privilege sudo or root
Man page yum(8)
Scope On RHEL 7, CentOS 7, and other legacy RPM systems, yum installs and removes packages from configured repositories. It resolves dependencies, supports package groups, and records transaction history for undo and rollback.
Related guides Linux commands

yum — quick reference

Install and remove

When to use Command
Install a package and dependencies sudo yum install package_name
Install without prompts sudo yum install -y package_name
Remove a package sudo yum remove package_name
Reinstall to repair files sudo yum reinstall package_name
Download RPMs without installing sudo yum install pkg --downloadonly --downloaddir=/path

Update and upgrade

When to use Command
Update one package sudo yum update package_name
Update every installed package sudo yum update
List available updates only sudo yum check-update

Search and inspect

When to use Command
Search repositories by keyword sudo yum search keyword
List installed and available packages sudo yum list
List installed packages only sudo yum list installed
Show package metadata sudo yum info package_name
Find RPM that provides a file sudo yum provides /path/to/file
Wildcard provides search sudo yum provides '*/binary'

Repositories

When to use Command
List enabled repositories sudo yum repolist
List disabled repositories sudo yum repolist disabled
List all repositories sudo yum repolist all
Enable one repo for this command sudo yum install pkg --enablerepo=repo_id
Disable broken repos for one install sudo yum install pkg --disablerepo=badrepo

Groups, history, and cache

When to use Command
List package groups sudo yum grouplist
Install a group sudo yum groupinstall "Group Name"
Remove a group sudo yum groupremove "Group Name"
Update a group sudo yum groupupdate "Group Name"
Show transaction history sudo yum history
Undo one transaction sudo yum history undo ID
Redo a transaction sudo yum history redo ID
Roll back after a transaction ID sudo yum history rollback ID
Clean cached metadata and packages sudo yum clean all
Interactive yum shell sudo yum shell

Help and version

When to use Command
Show yum version yum --version
Show command help yum help install

yum — command syntax

Synopsis from yum(8) on man7.org (RHEL 7 era):

text
yum [options] [command] [package ...]

Repository files live in /etc/yum.repos.d/*.repo. Cached metadata and RPMs use /var/cache/yum/. On RHEL 8+, yum often forwards to dnf — this page targets YUM 3 on RHEL 7 where the Python stack is native.

yum — command examples

Essential Install a package with dependencies

Install a monitoring tool — yum pulls dependencies from enabled repos automatically. The example installs iotop; after setup, see iotop for per-process disk I/O.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum install -y iotop

Sample output:

output
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7 will be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved
================================================================================
 Package           Arch            Version              Repository          Size
================================================================================
Installing:
 iotop             noarch          0.6-4.el7            base                52 k

Transaction Summary
================================================================================
Install  1 Package

Installed:
  iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7

Complete!
Essential Remove an installed package

Remove software that is no longer needed. yum erases the package RPM; dependencies may stay if other packages require them.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum remove -y iotop

Sample output:

output
Resolving Dependencies
---> Package iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7 will be erased
...
Removed:
  iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7

Complete!
Essential Update installed packages

Apply updates from enabled repos. Without a package name, yum updates everything with a newer version available.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum update -y

Preview updates first:

bash
sudo yum check-update

Sample output (single-package update excerpt):

text
---> Package NetworkManager.i686 1:1.18.8-1.el7 will be updated
---> Package NetworkManager.i686 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9 will be an update
...
Updated:
  NetworkManager.i686 1:1.18.8-2.el7_9

Complete!
Common Search and inspect packages

Find the correct package name before installing on RHEL 7.

Run the commands:

bash
sudo yum search nginx
sudo yum info nginx

Sample output:

output
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
========================= N/S matched: nginx =========================
nginx.x86_64 : A high performance web server and reverse proxy server
...
Name        : nginx
Arch        : x86_64
Version     : 1.20.1
Release     : 10.el7
Summary     : A high performance web server and reverse proxy server
Common List what is already installed

Audit software inventory or confirm a package version before a change window.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum list installed | head -20

Sample output:

output
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Installed Packages
GConf2.i686                     3.2.6-8.el7                 @anaconda
GeoIP.i686                      1.5.0-14.el7                @anaconda
NetworkManager.i686             1:1.18.8-2.el7_9            @updates
bash.i686                       4.2.46-34.el7               @anaconda
...
Common Find which RPM owns a command

When /usr/sbin/useradd is missing on a minimal image, ask yum which package to install.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum provides /usr/sbin/useradd

Sample output:

output
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
shadow-utils-2:4.6-12.el7.x86_64 : Utilities for managing accounts and shadow password files
Repo        : base
Matched from:
Filename    : /usr/sbin/useradd

Use yum provides '*/name' when multiple paths match.

Common Work with repositories

List enabled mirrors, then install from one repo while disabling broken media repos.

Run the commands:

bash
sudo yum repolist
sudo yum install -y iotop --disablerepo=c8-media-BaseOS,c8-media-AppStream

Sample output:

output
repo id              repo name                              status
base/7/x86_64        CentOS-7 - Base                         7,611
extras/7/x86_64      CentOS-7 - Extras                         404
updates/7/x86_64     CentOS-7 - Updates                      1,992
repolist: 10,007
...
Installed:
  iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7
Complete!
Common Install a package group

Install a bundle such as compatibility libraries or development tools in one transaction.

Run the commands:

bash
sudo yum grouplist
sudo yum groupinstall -y "Development Tools"

Sample output (truncated):

text
Available Groups:
   Development Tools
   Security Tools
...
Installed:
  gcc.x86_64 4.8.5-44.el7
  make.x86_64 1:3.82-24.el7
...
Complete!
Advanced Undo a yum transaction

Reverse a mistaken install using the ID from history — safer than guessing which RPMs to erase.

Run the commands:

bash
sudo yum history
sudo yum history undo 10

Sample output:

output
ID     Login user               Date and time    Action(s)
10     root                     2026-07-01 14:00   Install iotop-0.6-4.el7.noarch
...
Undoing transaction 10 ...
Removed:
  iotop.noarch 0:0.6-4.el7
Complete!

See YUM history and rollback for rollback vs redo semantics.

Advanced Download RPMs without installing

Stage packages on a jump host for air-gapped installs.

Run the command:

bash
sudo yum install -y mariadb --downloadonly --downloaddir=/root/rpms
ls /root/rpms/mariadb*

Sample output:

output
...
Complete!
/root/rpms/mariadb-10.3.28-1.module_el8.3.0+757+d382997d.x86_64.rpm
/root/rpms/mariadb-common-10.3.28-1.module_el8.3.0+757+d382997d.x86_64.rpm

Confirm nothing was installed:

bash
rpm -qa | grep mariadb

Empty output means the download-only path worked.

yum — when to use / when not

Use yum whenUse something else when
  • You still run RHEL 7, CentOS 7, or other YUM 3 systems
  • Legacy automation and kickstart scripts call yum install
  • You need yum history undo on a platform that has not migrated to dnf-native tooling
  • You are on RHEL 8+, Fedora, Rocky 8+ — prefer [dnf](/dnf-command-in-linux/) (even if the binary is named yum)
  • You are on Ubuntu/Debian — use [apt](/apt-command-in-linux/)
  • You are on Arch — use [pacman](/pacman-command-in-arch-linux/)
  • You only need to query a local RPM — [rpm](/rpm-command-in-linux/) may suffice

yum vs dnf

yum (RHEL 7) dnf (RHEL 8+)
Resolver Python yum stack libsolv
Group install yum groupinstall dnf group install
Default today Legacy enterprise Current Fedora/RHEL
On RHEL 8+ Often symlink to dnf Native

Plan migrations by testing playbooks with dnf subcommands before decommissioning RHEL 7 hosts.

yum — interview corner

What is yum in Linux?

YUM (Yellowdog Updater Modified) is the classic RPM package manager front end on RHEL 7-era systems. It reads repository metadata from /etc/yum.repos.d/, resolves dependencies, and runs install/update/remove transactions.

It replaced manual rpm -i chains for most admin work and records history so mistakes can be undone.

A strong answer is:

"yum is the legacy RPM package manager on RHEL 7 — repo-based installs with dependency resolution and transaction history. On RHEL 8+ I use dnf, which replaced the yum Python resolver."

Where does yum get packages from?

From YUM repositories defined in /etc/yum.repos.d/*.repo. Each file lists mirror URLs, GPG keys, and whether the repo is enabled.

Without at least one enabled repo (or a local mirror), yum install fails with no enabled repos.

List them:

bash
yum repolist

A strong answer is:

"yum pulls from .repo files under /etc/yum.repos.d — baseurl or mirrorlist, gpgcheck, enabled flag. I run yum repolist to confirm repos before troubleshooting failed installs."

How do yum history undo and rollback differ?
Command Effect
yum history undo ID Reverses that one transaction
yum history redo ID Repeats that transaction
yum history rollback ID Reverses all transactions after ID

Rollback is powerful and can remove many packages — use snapshots on production before wide rollbacks.

A strong answer is:

"undo reverses a single transaction ID; rollback reverses everything after an ID. I start with undo for one bad install and treat rollback as a last resort with backups."

When do you use yum provides instead of rpm -qf?

yum provides /path/file searches repository metadata — it tells you which not-yet-installed RPM to install.

rpm -qf /path/file only works for files already on disk from an installed package.

Use provides on minimal systems when a command is missing; use rpm -qf to audit existing files.

A strong answer is:

"yum provides searches repos for who owns a path — great when the file isn't installed yet. rpm -qf only works for files already on the system from an installed RPM."

What changes when migrating from yum to dnf?

Commands look similar (install, remove, search, history) but watch for:

  • Group commands: groupinstall → group install
  • Faster metadata and stricter dependency errors (libsolv)
  • Plugins and option names may differ

On RHEL 8+, many systems already run dnf when you type yum.

A strong answer is:

"Most verbs match, but dnf uses libsolv, group install syntax changes, and on RHEL 8+ yum often is dnf already. I test playbooks on dnf explicitly before retiring RHEL 7."

Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely cause What to try
There are no enabled repos Missing or disabled .repo files Register RHEL; copy CentOS vault repos; yum repolist all
Metadata download / mirror errors Dead mirror or DVD repo paths yum clean all; --disablerepo= broken IDs
Dependency conflicts Multilib or pinned packages Read transaction check output; remove conflicting package
yum hangs on plugins fastestmirror or security plugin yum --disableplugin=fastestmirror install ...
Wrong tool on RHEL 8+ Expecting YUM 3 behaviour Confirm with yum --version; use dnf docs
Rohan Timalsina

is a technical writer and Linux enthusiast who writes practical guides on Linux commands and system administration. He focuses on simplifying complex topics through clear explanations.

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