Packaging (DNF/RPM)
78 articles
Add RPM Repositories
Add third-party RPM repositories to Fedora using dnf config-manager or by dropping a .repo file into /etc/yum.repos.d/ to access software not available in the default repos.
Automatic updates with dnf-automatic
Install dnf-automatic and enable its timer to schedule daily automatic security updates on Fedora.
Create RPM package
Build an RPM package on Fedora by setting up the rpmbuild directory tree, writing a spec file, and running rpmbuild to produce an installable .rpm artifact.
Difference Between rpm -i and dnf install: When to Use Which
Use dnf install for everyday package management with automatic dependency resolution, and rpm -i only when installing a local RPM file in controlled offline scenarios.
DNF Package Manager Explained: A Complete Beginner's Guide
DNF is Fedora's default package manager, used to install, update, search, and remove software from official repositories with automatic dependency resolution.
dnf system-upgrade guide
The `dnf system-upgrade` plugin lets you upgrade Fedora to the next release in two commands — a download phase and a reboot phase — with minimal risk of dependency conflicts.
DNF vs DNF5: What Changed and How to Use DNF5 on Fedora
DNF5 is a complete rewrite of the DNF package manager in C++ designed for significantly faster dependency resolution and a more stable API, replacing the legacy Python-based DNF4.
dnf vs yum
DNF is the modern package manager for Fedora and RHEL 8+, replacing the legacy YUM tool used on older systems.
Downgrade package
Roll back a Fedora package to an older version using dnf downgrade, a specific version string, a local RPM file, or dnf history undo.
Enable RPM Fusion
Install the free and non-free RPM Fusion repository packages using dnf to access additional Fedora software sources.
Flatpak App Has No Sound or Microphone Access: How to Fix
Fix Flatpak sound and microphone issues by granting device and socket permissions via the flatpak override command.
Flatpak vs RPM vs Snap vs AppImage: Which Should You Use on Fedora?
Use Flatpak for desktop apps, RPM for system packages, and AppImage for portable binaries on Fedora.
How to Add Third-Party DNF Repositories on Fedora
Add third-party DNF repositories on Fedora by installing the .repo file or RPM package and refreshing the cache.
How to Back Up and Restore RPM Package Lists for Reinstallation on Fedora
Back up Fedora RPM packages with rpm -qa and restore them using dnf install from the saved list.
How to Build Your Own RPM Package from Source (Complete Guide)
Build a custom RPM package on Fedora by setting up rpmbuild, writing a spec file, and compiling your source into a distributable .rpm.
How to Check Which Package Provides a Specific File on Fedora
Use `dnf provides` to identify which installed or available package owns a specific file path on Fedora.
How to Clean DNF Cache and Free Disk Space on Fedora
Clear DNF cache on Fedora with sudo dnf clean all to free disk space.
How to Configure DNF for Faster Downloads (max_parallel_downloads, fastestmirror)
Configure DNF for faster downloads by enabling parallel downloads and the fastest mirror option in the configuration file.
How to Convert a DEB Package to RPM Using Alien
You cannot directly convert a `.deb` package to `.rpm` on Fedora using `alien` because `alien` is not available in the official Fedora repositories and is generally discouraged for production systems due to potential dependency mismatches and SELinux issues.
How to Create and Restore Btrfs Snapshots on Fedora
Fedora uses Btrfs by default, and you can take instant snapshots of subvolumes with the btrfs command and restore them by swapping subvolumes at boot.
How to Downgrade a Package to a Previous Version with DNF
Use the dnf downgrade command with the --allowerasing flag to force installation of a previous package version.
How to Enable and Disable DNF Repositories on Fedora
Enable or disable Fedora DNF repositories instantly using the dnf config-manager command with --set-enabled or --set-disabled flags.
How to Enable RPM Fusion Free and Nonfree Repositories on Fedora
Install the RPM Fusion free and nonfree repositories on Fedora using a single dnf command.
How to Exclude Packages from DNF Updates on Fedora
Exclude specific packages from DNF updates on Fedora by adding an exclude directive to a config file in /etc/dnf/dnf.conf.d/.
How to Extract Files from an RPM Without Installing
You can extract files from an RPM package without installing it by using the `rpm2cpio` utility combined with `cpio`, or by leveraging `rpm2archive` if available.
How to Find and Install Packages from COPR Repositories
COPR is Fedora's community build service for RPM packages; you can search for a project on the web, enable it with `dnf copr enable`, and install packages just like any other repository.
How to Fix Broken RPM Database on Fedora
If your RPM database is corrupted, you can usually fix it by rebuilding the database cache using `rpm --rebuilddb` or, in severe cases, by removing the database files in `/var/lib/rpm` and letting `dnf` recreate them.
How to Fix "Cannot Find a Valid Baseurl for Repo" DNF Error
Fix the DNF 'Cannot Find a Valid Baseurl' error by cleaning the cache and refreshing metadata to ensure repository URLs are valid.
How to Fix "Conflicting Requests" Error When Installing Packages with DNF
Fix DNF conflicting requests by removing lock files in /var/run/dnf and /var/lib/rpm to allow package installation.
How to Fix DNF Broken Dependencies on Fedora
Fix DNF broken dependencies on Fedora by running distro-sync or clearing the package cache.
How to Fix DNF Lock File Errors: "Another App Is Currently Holding the DNF Lock"
Fix DNF lock errors by removing the stale lock file at /var/run/dnf/libdnf.pid or killing the holding process.
How to Fix "Error: Failed to Synchronize Cache" in DNF
This error usually means DNF cannot reach the configured repository mirrors or the local metadata cache is corrupted.
How to Fix Flatpak Apps Not Matching Your System Theme
Fix Flatpak theme issues by installing the platform extension and configuring the GTK settings file inside the sandbox.
How to Fix Flatpak Apps Not Seeing Files Outside the Sandbox
Use flatpak override with the --filesystem flag to grant specific host directory access to sandboxed Flatpak applications.
How to Fix RPM Fusion Repositories After Upgrading Fedora
Reinstall RPM Fusion repositories using the dnf command with the current Fedora release version to fix upgrade issues.
How to Handle Third-Party Repositories During Fedora Upgrade
Disable third-party repositories using dnf config-manager before running a Fedora upgrade to prevent dependency errors.
How to Install a Local .rpm File on Fedora
To install a local `.rpm` file on Fedora, use `dnf install` with the file path, which automatically resolves and installs any missing dependencies from the configured repositories.
How to Install Fedora with Btrfs and Configure Snapshots
Install Fedora with Btrfs and configure Snapper for automatic system snapshots.
How to Install, Remove, and Update Packages with DNF
Manage Fedora packages by running dnf install, remove, or update commands with the desired package name.
How to Install Snap Packages on Fedora (And Should You?)
Snap packages are not natively supported on Fedora; use DNF or Flatpak instead.
How to Install Spotify on Fedora (Flatpak or RPM)
Install Spotify on Fedora using Flatpak for sandboxed updates or RPM Fusion for native system integration.
How to Install, Update, and Remove Flatpak Apps on Fedora
Install, update, and remove Flatpak apps on Fedora using the flatpak command-line tool with simple install, update, and uninstall commands.
How to List All Files Installed by an RPM Package
You can list all files installed by an RPM package using the `rpm -ql` command if the package is already installed, or `rpm -qpl` if you only have the package file.
How to List Installed Flatpak Apps and Runtimes
Use `flatpak list` to view installed applications and `flatpak list --runtime` to see only the runtimes currently on your system.
How to List Installed Packages on Fedora with DNF
Use `dnf list installed` to display all packages currently installed on your Fedora system, or pipe the output through `grep` to filter for specific software.
How to Manage Flatpak Permissions on Fedora (Flatseal)
Install and run Flatseal from Flathub to graphically manage Flatpak application permissions on Fedora.
How to Query RPM Package Information on Fedora
Query Fedora RPM package details using the rpm -qi command.
How to Reduce Flatpak Disk Usage and Clean Up Unused Runtimes
You can reclaim significant disk space on Fedora by removing unused Flatpak runtimes with flatpak uninstall --unused and clearing the application cache.
How to Reinstall a Package on Fedora Using DNF
Reinstall a Fedora package by removing it with dnf remove and then installing it again with dnf install.
How to Report Bugs to the Fedora Project (Bugzilla)
Report Fedora bugs through the official Bugzilla tracker by gathering system information and filing a detailed issue against the correct component.
How to Run AppImage Files on Fedora
AppImage files are self-contained Linux applications that run directly without installation, provided you have execute permissions and the necessary runtime libraries.
How to Search for Packages Using DNF on Fedora
Use `dnf search` to find packages by name or description, and `dnf list` to see installed or available versions.
How to Set Flatpak or RPM as the Default Install Source in GNOME Software
GNOME Software auto-selects install sources; use flatpak or dnf commands to force a specific backend per app.
How to Set Up an RPM Build Environment with rpmbuild and mock
Set up your RPM build environment by installing the `rpm-build` and `mock` packages, then configure your user's build directory structure and SELinux contexts to allow local package compilation.
How to Set Up Automatic Updates on Fedora
Enable dnf-automatic timers and set mode to apply in the config file to automate Fedora system updates.
How to Set Up Btrfs Subvolumes and Snapshots on Fedora
Create Btrfs subvolumes and snapshots on Fedora using the btrfs subvolume create and snapshot commands.
How to Set Up Flathub and Install Flatpak Apps on Fedora
Add the Flathub repository to Fedora and install Flatpak apps using the flatpak command line tool.
How to Set Up Flatpak and Add the Flathub Repository on Fedora
Install Flatpak and add the Flathub repository on Fedora using dnf and flatpak remote-add commands.
How to Upgrade Fedora Using DNF System Upgrade (Step by Step)
You can upgrade Fedora in-place to the latest release using the `dnf system-upgrade` plugin, which downloads all necessary packages and reboots your system to complete the transition.
How to Use COPR Repositories to Install Third-Party Software on Fedora
COPR (Community Projects Repository) lets Fedora users enable community-maintained package repositories and install third-party software with standard dnf commands.
How to Use DNF
DNF is Fedora's default package manager for installing, updating, searching, and removing RPM software packages from the command line.
How to Use DNF Groups to Install Software Collections
DNF groups let you install curated collections of related packages in a single command, making it easy to set up full environments like a development toolchain or web server stack.
How to Use dnf history
`dnf history` tracks every package transaction on your Fedora system, letting you review, undo, or replay any past install, upgrade, or removal.
How to Use DNF Versionlock to Pin Package Versions
Use the `dnf-versionlock` plugin to prevent specific packages from being upgraded during system updates, ensuring stability for critical applications or dependencies.
How to Use Fedora COPR to Build and Distribute RPM Packages
Fedora COPR is a community build service where maintainers can build and host RPM packages for Fedora and EPEL without going through the official Fedora review process.
How to Use Snapper for Btrfs Snapshot Management on Fedora
Snapper on Fedora automatically creates Btrfs snapshots before and after system updates, allowing you to roll back the entire system to a previous state if an update breaks something.
How to Use Timeshift for System Snapshots on Fedora (Btrfs)
Install Timeshift via DNF and run a single command to create an immediate Btrfs snapshot for system recovery.
How to Verify RPM Package Integrity on Fedora
You can verify RPM package integrity on Fedora by checking the cryptographic signature of installed packages using `rpm -K` or validating downloaded `.rpm` files against the GPG keys in `/etc/pki/rpm-gpg/`.
How to View DNF Transaction History and Undo Changes
You can view your DNF transaction history using `dnf history` and undo specific changes by running `dnf history undo <transaction-id>`.
Install Flatpak apps
Install Flatpak apps by adding the Flathub repository and running the install command with the specific app ID.
Install from source RPM
A source RPM (SRPM) lets you download the exact source and spec file used to build a Fedora package, so you can rebuild it locally with custom patches or options.
Understanding DNF Modules and Module Streams on Fedora
DNF modules let you install and switch between different major versions of software on Fedora — such as Node.js 18 vs 20 — without manually managing conflicting package dependencies.
Understanding the RPM Spec File: Structure and Macros
An RPM spec file is a structured build script that defines a package's metadata, build instructions, file lists, and changelog so that rpmbuild can produce installable RPM packages.
Update system
Keeping Fedora up to date is essential for security and stability, and DNF makes full system upgrades quick and straightforward.
Use COPR repositories
COPR is Fedora's community build service that lets you easily enable third-party repositories to install software not yet in the official repos.
What Are RPM Packages? Understanding the RPM Format
RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) is the standard binary package format for Fedora and other Red Hat-based distributions, containing compiled software, metadata, and dependency information in a single archive.
What Is Flatpak and How Does It Work on Fedora?
Flatpak is a sandboxed application framework for Linux that bundles apps with dependencies, managed on Fedora via libflatpak and AppStream metadata.
What Is the RPM Fusion Repository and Why Do You Need It?
RPM Fusion is a community repository that provides software Fedora cannot ship by default due to patent, licensing, or legal restrictions, including proprietary GPU drivers and multimedia codecs.