Managing Programs in Linux: Installation, Updates, and Removal¶

In Linux, software is distributed as packages stored in official and third‑party repositories. Installation, updating, and removal of packages are handled by specialized tools—package managers.

The choice of manager depends on the distribution:

Distribution	Package Manager	Package Format
Debian, Ubuntu (and derivatives)	`apt` / `apt-get`, `apt-cache`	`.deb`
RHEL, CentOS 7 and earlier, BitrixOS	`yum`	`.rpm`
RHEL 8+, CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux	`dnf` (successor of `yum`)	`.rpm`

Note

In modern Ubuntu/Debian it is preferable to use apt – a simplified and convenient interface that combines the functions of apt-get and apt-cache. In new RPM systems, dnf commands are similar to yum but faster and more reliable.

Core Operations¶

Note

Most commands require superuser privileges—use sudo.

1. Updating the package list¶

Before installing or updating, always refresh the local metadata cache:

System	Command
Debian / Ubuntu	`sudo apt update`
CentOS 7 / BitrixOS	`sudo yum check-update`
RHEL 8+ / CentOS Stream	`sudo dnf check-update` (or simply `sudo dnf upgrade --refresh`)

Note

apt update ≠ apt upgrade!
update only refreshes the lists,
upgrade updates the installed packages.

2. Searching for packages¶

If you don't know the exact name, search by keywords:

System	Command
Debian / Ubuntu	`apt search keyword`
CentOS / RHEL (yum/dnf)	`yum search keyword` `dnf search keyword`

Example:

apt search nginx

3. Viewing package information¶

Know the version, description, dependencies, and size before installation:

System	Command
Debian / Ubuntu	`apt show <package_name>`
CentOS / RHEL	`yum info <package_name>` `dnf info <package_name>`

Example:

apt show curl

4. Installing packages¶

Basic installation:¶

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install <package_name>

# CentOS 7 / BitrixOS
sudo yum install <package_name>

# RHEL 8+, CentOS Stream
sudo dnf install <package_name>

Installing multiple packages:¶

sudo apt install nginx git htop

Installing a specific version:¶

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install nginx=1.18.0-6ubuntu14.4

# yum/dnf (specified with a hyphen)
sudo yum install nginx-1.16.1
sudo dnf install nginx-1.20.1

5. Updating packages¶

Update all installed packages to the latest versions:

System	Command
Debian / Ubuntu	`sudo apt upgrade` or `sudo apt full-upgrade`—handles dependencies with removal/replacement of packages_
CentOS 7 / BitrixOS	`sudo yum update`
RHEL 8+ / CentOS Stream	`sudo dnf upgrade`

6. Removing packages¶

Remove a package while keeping its configuration files:¶

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt remove <package_name>

# yum/dnf
sudo yum remove <package_name>
sudo dnf remove <package_name>

Full removal (including configuration files):¶

sudo apt purge <package_name>

Automatic dependency cleanup¶

Removes packages that were installed only as dependencies but are no longer needed:

sudo apt autoremove
# (for yum/dnf such packages are removed automatically during remove/update)

Additionally: clearing the downloaded package cache¶

sudo apt clean        # delete ALL .deb files from the cache
sudo apt autoclean    # delete ONLY obsolete .deb files

Useful alternatives

Task	Command
Check if a package is installed	`dpkg -l \| grep <package>` (Debian) `rpm -q <package>` (RPM)
List the files contained in a package	`dpkg -L <package>` `rpm -ql <package>`
Find which package owns a file	`dpkg -S /path/to/file` `rpm -qf /path/to/file`