Dandified Yum (DNF) is an RPM-based package manager which is used to install and update packages in various Linux distributions, including CentOS, RHEL and Fedora.

DNF is a fork of the YUM package manager, it aims to improve performance and reduce memory usage. DNF was introduced in Fedora 18 and became the default in Fedora 22.

The goal of this article is to highlight common DNF commands (acting as a cheat sheet).

Prior to proceeding, it is important to understand the difference between a repository and a package.

  • A repository containers packages.
  • A package contains an application.

Repositories and packages simplify software distribution and installation.

List All Repositories

The following command will list all repositories, highlighting if they are enabled or disabled.

sudo dnf repolist all


List All Packages

The following command will list all packages from installed repositories.

dnf list available | more


List Installed Packages

The following command will list all installed packages.

dnf list installed


Install Package

The following command will install a specific package.

sudo dnf install <package>


Remove Package

The following command will remove a specific package.

sudo dnf remove <package>


Check for Updates

The following command will check for updates across all enabled repositories. It does not install the updates.

sudo dnf check-update


Update All Packages

The following command will update all packages.

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh


Update Package

The following command will update a specific package.

sudo dnf update <package>


View Package Information

The following command will show the details of a specific package.

dnf info <package>


Remove Orphan Packages

The following command will remove any packages that are no longer required.

sudo dnf autoremove


Synchronise All Packages

The following command will synchronise all packages to the latest stable release.

sudo dnf distro-sync


Get Help

The following command will list all available DNF options.

dnf help


Additional information regarding DNF can be found on the Fedora Wiki.

software operating_system open_source linux fedora red_hat dandified_yum dnf