dnf Command: Installing, Updating and Removing Packages, and How It Differs from yum
The dnf command is a package management command for searching, installing, updating and removing packages on RHEL-based Linux. On AlmaLinux 9, typing yum runs the same program. On an AlmaLinux 9 server, I actually ran search, info, provides and history, and checked in the output where search, info and provides each look when finding packages, and what history keeps as a record of past operations.
I did not run commands that change the system, such as installing, removing or updating. Their behavior was checked against the official DNF documentation and the operation history already on the server.
1️⃣ How the dnf Command Relates to yum
It is easy to assume that typing yum runs the old yum, but on AlmaLinux 9 both yum and dnf are links to the same executable, dnf-3.
ls -l /usr/bin/yum /usr/bin/dnflrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 5 May 21 04:48 /usr/bin/dnf -> dnf-3
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 5 May 21 04:48 /usr/bin/yum -> dnf-3The only difference between yum and dnf is the name you type; the subcommands and options are the same whichever one you use. Running search htop with yum and with dnf also produced identical output.
According to the official DNF documentation [Changes in DNF CLI compared to YUM], update and upgrade do the same thing, and the documentation recommends upgrade.
On older distributions without dnf, you use the yum command as is. The subcommand names in this post, such as install, search and history, are the same in yum.
2️⃣ Finding Packages with the dnf Command: search, info, provides
When you don't know the exact package name of the program you want to install, run search with a single word. search looks for the word in package names and summaries (Summary) and puts the package whose name matches exactly at the top.
dnf search htopLast metadata expiration check: 0:21:53 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
========================== Name Exactly Matched: htop ==========================
htop.x86_64 : Interactive process viewerhtop has only one package with exactly that name, so the result ended with a single line under [Name Exactly Matched].
dnf search wgetLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:35 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
========================== Name Exactly Matched: wget ==========================
wget.x86_64 : A utility for retrieving files using the HTTP or FTP protocols
========================= Name & Summary Matched: wget =========================
perl-HTTP-Tinyish-Wget.noarch : HTTP::Tinyish wget backend
wget2-devel.x86_64 : Libraries and header files needed for using wget2 libraries
wget2-libs.x86_64 : Runtime libraries for GNU Wget2
============================== Name Matched: wget ==============================
wget2.x86_64 : An advanced file and recursive website downloaderA word that appears in several packages, like wget, came out split into three groups: exact name matches, matches in both the name and the summary, and matches in the name only.
search does not look at the description (Description) text, so it won't help when the word appears only in the description. In that case, adding the [--all] option widens the search to the description and URL.
Once you know the package name, use info to check its version, size and which repository it comes from.
dnf info htopLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:37 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Available Packages
Name : htop
Version : 3.3.0
Release : 1.el9
Architecture : x86_64
Size : 198 k
Source : htop-3.3.0-1.el9.src.rpm
Repository : epel
Summary : Interactive process viewer
URL : http://hisham.hm/htop/
License : GPLv2+
Description : htop is an interactive text-mode process viewer for Linux, similar to
: top(1).htop, which is not installed yet, appears in info htop under [Available Packages] with version 3.3.0 and repository epel. htop exists only in the epel repository, so running search again without epel returns nothing.
dnf info wgetLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:38 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Installed Packages
Name : wget
Version : 1.21.1
Release : 11.el9_8
Architecture : x86_64
Size : 3.1 M
Source : wget-1.21.1-11.el9_8.src.rpm
Repository : @System
From repo : appstream
Summary : A utility for retrieving files using the HTTP or FTP protocols
URL : http://www.gnu.org/software/wget/
License : GPLv3+
Description : GNU Wget is a file retrieval utility which can use either the HTTP or
: FTP protocols. Wget features include the ability to work in the
: background while you are logged out, recursive retrieval of
: directories, file name wildcard matching, remote file timestamp
: storage and comparison, use of Rest with FTP servers and Range with
: HTTP servers to retrieve files over slow or unstable connections,
: support for Proxy servers, and configurability.wget, which is already installed, appeared under [Installed Packages]. Repository was @System, and the repository it was downloaded from at install time was listed as appstream on the [From repo] line.
Conversely, when you only know a file name and not which package contains it, give provides the file path.
dnf provides /usr/bin/treeLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:40 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
tree-1.8.0-10.el9.x86_64 : File system tree viewer
Repo : @System
Matched from:
Filename : /usr/bin/tree
tree-1.8.0-10.el9.x86_64 : File system tree viewer
Repo : baseos
Matched from:
Filename : /usr/bin/treeSearching for /usr/bin/tree returned two groups: the installed tree package (@System) and the one in the repository (baseos). The Filename under [Matched from] is the path that actually matched. If you give only a file name without a path, dnf searches again with /usr/bin/ and /usr/sbin/ prepended, and if that still finds nothing, it ends with the error below.
dnf provides nosuchfileLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:41 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Error: No matches found. If searching for a file, try specifying the full path or using a wildcard prefix ("*/") at the beginning.The error message tells you to give the full path or prepend the wildcard [*/]. The diagram below compares, step by step, what each of the three commands takes as input and where it looks.
3️⃣ Installing, Removing and Updating Packages: install, remove, upgrade
Install the package you found with install. dnf installs not only the package you specify but also the dependency packages it needs, all at once.
dnf install htopAccording to the official documentation, dnf prints the list of packages to install (the transaction summary) and then asks whether to continue; with [-y], it proceeds without asking.
You can check in advance which dependency packages an installation needs with repoquery [--requires].
dnf repoquery --requires htopLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:59 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
libc.so.6(GLIBC_2.34)(64bit)
libcap.so.2()(64bit)
libhwloc.so.15()(64bit)
libm.so.6()(64bit)
libm.so.6(GLIBC_2.2.5)(64bit)
libm.so.6(GLIBC_2.29)(64bit)
libncursesw.so.6()(64bit)
libnl-3.so.200()(64bit)
libnl-3.so.200(libnl_3)(64bit)
libnl-genl-3.so.200()(64bit)
libnl-genl-3.so.200(libnl_3)(64bit)
libtinfo.so.6()(64bit)
rtld(GNU_HASH)With [--requires] alone, you only get the names of the libraries htop requires. To see which packages contain those libraries, use the next command.
dnf repoquery --requires --resolve htopLast metadata expiration check: 0:23:01 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
glibc-0:2.34-283.el9_8.i686
glibc-0:2.34-283.el9_8.x86_64
hwloc-libs-0:2.4.1-6.el9_7.x86_64
libcap-0:2.48-10.el9_8.1.x86_64
libnl3-0:3.11.0-1.el9.x86_64
ncurses-libs-0:6.2-12.20210508.el9.x86_64Adding [--resolve] turns them into the names of the packages that provide those libraries. Of these, hwloc-libs was not on the test server, so installing htop installs it as well.
remove deletes the specified package together with the packages that depend on it, and with the default settings it also removes dependency packages that are no longer needed.
dnf remove htopEven if you remove only htop, dependency packages that no other package needs, such as hwloc-libs installed for htop, are removed along with it.
Packages that were once installed as dependencies but are no longer needed by any package are removed by autoremove. Check the list of packages to be removed first with list [--autoremove].
dnf list --autoremoveLast metadata expiration check: 0:23:09 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Autoremove Packages
cmake-rpm-macros.noarch 3.31.8-3.el9 @appstream
grub2-tools-efi.x86_64 1:2.06-126.el9_8.alma.1 @baseos
grub2-tools-extra.x86_64 1:2.06-126.el9_8.alma.1 @baseos
libatomic.x86_64 11.5.0-14.el9.alma.1 @baseos
libvisual.x86_64 1:0.4.0-34.el9 @appstream
libwayland-server.x86_64 1.21.0-1.el9 @appstreamdnf autoremoveOn the test server, the list showed 6 packages, and autoremove removes all 6 at once.
To check whether new versions of installed packages are available, use check-update. If you add a package name, only that package is checked.
dnf check-update libavif libdav1dLast metadata expiration check: 0:52:20 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
libavif.x86_64 1.1.1-3.el9 epel
libdav1d.x86_64 1.5.4-1.el9 epelThe command above with libavif and libdav1d ended with exit code 100 because both had new versions. check-update exits with 100 when updates are available, 0 when there are none and 1 on error, so you can use it as a branch condition in scripts.
Adding a package name to list shows the installed version and the new version in the repository together. With updateinfo list, you can see which advisory the update belongs to.
dnf list libavifLast metadata expiration check: 0:52:21 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Installed Packages
libavif.x86_64 0.11.1-5.el9 @epel
Available Packages
libavif.x86_64 1.1.1-3.el9 epelFor libavif, the installed 0.11.1-5.el9 appeared under [Installed Packages] and the repository's 1.1.1-3.el9 separately under [Available Packages].
dnf updateinfo list libavifLast metadata expiration check: 0:52:24 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
FEDORA-EPEL-2026-d611eab94a bugfix libavif-1.1.1-3.el9.x86_64That new version was an update for the bugfix advisory FEDORA-EPEL-2026-d611eab94a. Security updates show a severity and Sec. in the same place, like [Moderate/Sec.].
Run updates with upgrade. upgrade installs new versions only as far as the dependencies allow, so the version shown by check-update may not be the one that actually gets installed.
dnf upgrade libavifIf you add a package name, only that package and the dependency packages it needs are upgraded to new versions.
dnf upgradeIf you omit the name, all installed packages are targeted. The flow of printing a transaction summary and asking whether to continue is the same as with install, and each transaction you run is recorded with a number in history.
4️⃣ dnf Command Repository List: repolist
The place where search and install look for packages is the repository. repolist prints the id and name of the currently enabled repositories.
dnf repolistrepo id repo name
appstream AlmaLinux 9 - AppStream
baseos AlmaLinux 9 - BaseOS
epel Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 9 - x86_64
epel-cisco-openh264 Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux 9 openh264 (From Cisco) - x86_64
extras AlmaLinux 9 - Extras
nginx-stable nginx stable repo
remi-modular Remi's Modular repository for Enterprise Linux 9 - x86_64
remi-safe Safe Remi's RPM repository for Enterprise Linux 9 - x86_64It is easy to assume that a repository missing from the list doesn't exist on the server, but repolist's default output shows only enabled repositories. Adding [--all] also prints disabled repositories along with a status column. On the test server, all three AlmaLinux 9 CRB repositories were disabled.
dnf repolist --all | grep -i crbcrb AlmaLinux 9 - CRB disabled
crb-debuginfo AlmaLinux 9 - CRB - Debug disabled
crb-source AlmaLinux 9 - CRB - Source disabledUse repoinfo to check a single repository's package count, mirror address, metadata expiration time and configuration file location.
dnf repoinfo baseosLast metadata expiration check: 0:22:55 ago on Wed Oct 28 15:24:31 2026.
Repo-id : baseos
Repo-name : AlmaLinux 9 - BaseOS
Repo-status : enabled
Repo-revision : 1793090609
Repo-updated : Tue Oct 27 17:43:29 2026
Repo-pkgs : 3458
Repo-available-pkgs: 3458
Repo-size : 21 G
Repo-mirrors : https://mirrors.almalinux.org/mirrorlist/9/baseos
Repo-baseurl : http://aws.repo.almalinux.org/almalinux/9.8/BaseOS/x86_64/os/ (9 more)
Repo-expire : 86400 second(s) (last: Wed Oct 28 15:24:26 2026)
Repo-filename : /etc/yum.repos.d/almalinux-baseos.repo
Total packages: 3458repoinfo baseos showed 3,458 packages, with the metadata set to be rechecked every 86,400 seconds (one day). The .repo file on the [Repo-filename] line is this repository's configuration file. The [--set-enabled] and [--set-disabled] options, which enable and disable repositories, are used with the config-manager command from dnf-plugins-core.
5️⃣ dnf Command History and Undo: history
After many installs and removals, it becomes hard to track what you changed and when, but dnf numbers each transaction and records it in history. Adding a package name shows only the transactions that changed that package.
dnf history list tmuxID | Command line | Date and time | Action(s) | Altered
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51 | install -y tmux | 2026-10-15 20:40 | Install | 1The output narrowed down to tmux left just one line: transaction 51, which installed tmux. A range of numbers is written with two dots, like [50..51].
dnf history list 50..51ID | Command line | Date and time | Action(s) | Altered
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51 | install -y tmux | 2026-10-15 20:40 | Install | 1
50 | -y -q install mlocate | 2026-10-07 19:39 | Install | 1 EEThe number in the [Altered] column is the number of packages changed. Line 50 ended with [EE], which means the transaction finished but produced warning or error output.
Use history info to check a single transaction's command line, changed packages and return code.
dnf history info 51Transaction ID : 51
Begin time : Thu Oct 15 20:40:51 2026
Begin rpmdb : d3db9c92a9d0f6ef9a7a1404552bb76e9d56ba7602b1fce73fa5a62170d33c5c
End time : Thu Oct 15 20:40:51 2026 (0 seconds)
End rpmdb : a862c33ee6a2f2d0479e4dc2631907dee47591c5b6795551b755c6cd090ac1df
User : root <root>
Return-Code : Success
Releasever : 9
Command Line : install -y tmux
Persistence : Persist
Comment :
Packages Altered:
Install tmux-3.2a-5.el9.x86_64 @baseosOpening transaction 51 showed the command that was run, install -y tmux, kept as is under [Command Line]. [Packages Altered] listed the installed tmux with the repository @baseos, and [Return-Code] showed Success. If you omit the number, the most recent transaction is shown.
If you installed something by mistake, add the transaction number to history undo to perform the reverse of that transaction. rollback returns the package state to just after the specified transaction.
dnf history undo 51Transaction 51 was the tmux installation, so undo 51 becomes a reverse transaction that removes tmux.
dnf history rollback 50rollback 50 reverts every transaction run after 50, up to the last one, so the result can differ from undo 51, which removes only tmux.
According to the official documentation, if any package cannot be reverted, undo and rollback end without changing anything. They do not stop with an error even if changes made directly with rpm are missing from the history.
🔲 dnf Command Simulator
In the simulator below, you can type the search, info, provides, repolist and history commands yourself and check the output. Typing yum gives the same results.
🔢 FAQ & Recommended Content
ℹ️ Affiliate Disclosure
This site's content contains affiliate links. When a visitor buys a product or service through one of them, the site receives a commission from the seller. The amount the buyer pays(it goes down during event discounts ↓)does not go up. Posted prices, discounts, and stock reflect the time of writing and may differ, so confirm with the seller before buying. Products are chosen and reviewed by our own standards, and commissions do not affect the order or content of reviews.