rpm Command Reference: Flags, Usage & CI Examples

rpm installs and queries individual RPM packages.

rpm is the low-level RPM package tool that yum and dnf build on. It installs a local .rpm directly and answers queries about installed packages and file ownership.

Common flags and usage

-i <file.rpm>: install a package
-U <file.rpm>: upgrade (or install) a package
-e <pkg>: erase a package
-q <pkg>: query whether a package is installed
-ql <pkg>: list files a package owns
-qf <path>: find which package owns a file

Example

shell

rpm -i ./mytool-1.2.3.x86_64.rpm || dnf install -y ./mytool-1.2.3.x86_64.rpm

In CI

Like dpkg, rpm -i does not resolve dependencies; prefer dnf/yum install on a local file path when dependencies are needed. Use rpm -qf to debug which package provides a binary inside an image.

Key takeaways

rpm -i installs a local .rpm without resolving dependencies.
Use dnf/yum install on the file when dependencies are needed.
rpm -ql and -qf map packages to and from files.

Related guides

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