Complete Guide to YUM Package Manager on CentOS 7: Install, Remove, Query, and Cache Management

YUM (Yellowdog Updater, Modified) is the default package manager for CentOS 7 and other RPM-based distributions. It automatically resolves dependencies from configured repositories.

Installing Packages

To install a package, use:

yum install package_name

YUM checks the repository database for the package, analyzes its dependencies, and prompts you to install any required dependencies before proceeding.

Removing Packages

To remove a package, use:

yum remove package_name

YUM checks if other packages depend on the one being removed and provides a solution for confirmation.

Installing a Specific Version

To install a specific version of a package, first list available versions:

yum list --showduplicates package_name

Then install using the full package name with version:

yum install package_name-version

Example: Installing Redis 6.0.6 from the remi repository

# List available Redis versions
yum --enablerepo=remi list redis --showduplicates

# Install specific version
yum --enablerepo=remi install redis-6.0.6 -y

Querying Packages

YUM provides several commands for querying package information:

• yum search keyword – Search for packages by keyword.
• yum list available – List all available packages.
• yum list updates – List all packages with updates available.
• yum list installed – List all installed packages.
• yum info package_name – Show detailed package information.
• yum provides /path/to/file – Find which package provides a file.

Clearing YUM Cache

YUM caches downloaded packages and metadata. Clear the cache to free disk space:

• yum clean packages – Remove cached package files.
• yum clean headers – Remove old header metadata.
• yum clean all or yum clean metadata – Perform a complete cleanup (most commonly used).

Other Useful YUM Commands

• yum update – Update all installed packages.
• yum update package_name – Update a specific package.
• yum grouplist – List available package groups.
• yum groupinstall "group_name" – Install a package group.
• yum groupremove "group_name" – Remove a package group.
• yum deplist package_name – List package dependencies.
• yum localinstall /path/to/package.rpm – Install a local RPM file with dependency resolution.

Installing Chinese Fonts on CentOS 7

Install the fonts package group for basic Chinese font support:

yum groupinstall "fonts"

Verify Chinese locale support after installation:

locale -a | grep "zh_CN"

Note: CentOS 7 reached End of Life (EOL) in June 2024. For new projects, consider migrating to RHEL, Rocky Linux, or AlmaLinux. Their package managers (dnf/yum) are largely compatible, but repository availability and software versions may differ.