apt vs yum vs dnf: Which Linux Package Manager Should You Use?

If you've used multiple Linux distributions, you've run into this: Ubuntu uses apt, CentOS and RHEL use yum, and Fedora uses dnf. They all install software, but they're different tools with different syntax, different ecosystems, and different strengths.

This post explains when to use each one, how the syntax compares, and which you'll encounter most.

The Quick Answer

Package Manager	Used By	Format
apt	Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Raspberry Pi OS	.deb
yum	RHEL 7, CentOS 7, Amazon Linux 2	.rpm
dnf	Fedora, RHEL 8+, CentOS Stream 8+	.rpm

• You're on Ubuntu or Debian? Use apt.
• You're on Fedora or RHEL 8+? Use dnf.
• You're on an older RHEL 7 / CentOS 7 system? Use yum.

If you're using a current server distro, you'll almost certainly encounter either apt or dnf. yum is increasingly legacy.

Side-by-Side Command Comparison

Install a package

# apt
sudo apt install nginx

# yum
sudo yum install nginx

# dnf
sudo dnf install nginx

Update package lists / check for updates

# apt (two separate steps)
sudo apt update         # refresh package index
sudo apt upgrade        # install available upgrades

# yum (combined)
sudo yum update

# dnf (same as yum syntax)
sudo dnf update
# or
sudo dnf upgrade        # dnf treats update and upgrade as aliases

Remove a package

# apt
sudo apt remove nginx           # keep config files
sudo apt purge nginx            # remove config files too
sudo apt autoremove             # remove unused dependencies

# yum
sudo yum remove nginx

# dnf
sudo dnf remove nginx
sudo dnf autoremove             # remove unused dependencies

Search for a package

# apt
apt search keyword
apt-cache search keyword        # older form, still works

# yum
yum search keyword

# dnf
dnf search keyword

Show package info

# apt
apt show nginx
apt-cache show nginx

# yum
yum info nginx

# dnf
dnf info nginx

List installed packages

# apt
apt list --installed
dpkg -l                         # alternative

# yum
yum list installed

# dnf
dnf list installed
rpm -qa                         # list all installed RPMs

Clean up cached files

# apt
sudo apt clean              # clear downloaded package files
sudo apt autoclean          # clear only outdated files

# yum
sudo yum clean all

# dnf
sudo dnf clean all

Key Differences

Package formats

• apt works with .deb files (Debian package format)
• yum and dnf both work with .rpm files (Red Hat Package format)

You cannot install a .deb on a Fedora system or an .rpm on Ubuntu with these tools. The package formats are fundamentally different.

dnf vs yum: What Changed?

dnf was designed as the successor to yum. The main improvements:

Feature	yum	dnf
Dependency resolution	Slower, sometimes incomplete	Faster, more reliable
API	Legacy Python 2 code	Clean Python 3 API
Plugin compatibility	Older plugin ecosystem	Modern, maintained plugins
Memory usage	Higher	Lower
Parallel downloads	No	Yes (default)

On RHEL 8+ and CentOS Stream 8+, yum is actually an alias for dnf — they're the same binary. If you type yum install, it runs dnf install underneath.

apt update vs apt upgrade: Why Two Commands?

This trips up everyone coming from yum or dnf.

sudo apt update     # refreshes the package INDEX (what's available)
sudo apt upgrade    # installs available UPGRADES

apt update does not install anything — it only downloads updated lists of available packages. You must run it before apt upgrade, otherwise you're upgrading based on stale information.

yum update and dnf update combine both steps in one command.

Holding packages at a specific version

Sometimes you don't want a package to update (e.g., a specific kernel version or database):

# apt — mark a package as held
sudo apt-mark hold nginx
sudo apt-mark unhold nginx

# yum/dnf — use versionlock plugin
sudo dnf install dnf-plugin-versionlock
sudo dnf versionlock add nginx
sudo dnf versionlock delete nginx

Repositories: Where Packages Come From

Both ecosystems rely on repositories — servers that host packages.

apt repositories

Ubuntu uses official repositories plus optional PPAs (Personal Package Archives):

# Add a PPA
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:user/ppa-name
sudo apt update
sudo apt install package-name

# Remove a PPA
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:user/ppa-name

# List configured repos
cat /etc/apt/sources.list
ls /etc/apt/sources.list.d/

yum/dnf repositories

RHEL-based systems use .repo files:

# Enable EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux)
sudo dnf install epel-release

# Add a custom repo
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://repo.example.com/el/repo.repo

# List enabled repos
dnf repolist

EPEL provides thousands of packages not in the default RHEL/CentOS repos — it's the rough equivalent of Ubuntu's universe repository.

Installing from a File

Sometimes a vendor provides a .deb or .rpm file directly (e.g., Chrome, Slack, VS Code):

# apt — install a .deb file
sudo apt install ./package.deb    # preferred: apt handles dependencies
sudo dpkg -i package.deb          # older method, may leave broken deps

# dnf — install an .rpm file
sudo dnf install ./package.rpm    # preferred
sudo rpm -i package.rpm           # older method

# yum — install an .rpm file
sudo yum localinstall ./package.rpm

Using apt install ./ or dnf install ./ instead of dpkg or rpm -i means the package manager also resolves dependencies from the configured repositories.

Which Should You Learn First?

Learn apt first if:

• You're new to Linux and using Ubuntu (most common beginner distro)
• You're doing web development (Ubuntu is dominant in tutorials and cloud)
• Your team or course uses Ubuntu/Debian

Learn dnf second if:

• You work in enterprise environments (RHEL is common in large orgs)
• You're working toward RHEL certifications (RHCSA, RHCE)
• You use Fedora as a desktop

The syntax is similar enough that switching between them is straightforward once you know one. The main adjustment is remembering that apt needs two steps to update.

Quick Reference Card

Task	apt	dnf	yum
Install	apt install pkg	dnf install pkg	yum install pkg
Remove	apt remove pkg	dnf remove pkg	yum remove pkg
Update index	apt update	(included in upgrade)	(included in update)
Upgrade all	apt upgrade	dnf upgrade	yum update
Search	apt search kw	dnf search kw	yum search kw
Info	apt show pkg	dnf info pkg	yum info pkg
List installed	apt list --installed	dnf list installed	yum list installed
Clean cache	apt clean	dnf clean all	yum clean all
Auto-remove	apt autoremove	dnf autoremove	—

Full Package Management Guide

For a deeper dive including managing services with systemctl after package installation, working with package groups, and dealing with dependency conflicts, see the Linux Package Management Guide.

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