Master Linux Package Management: yum, apt, dpkg & Source Compilation

yum

Update source: sudo yum clean all && sudo yum makecache Install package: sudo yum install <package_name>[-<version>] Upgrade package: sudo yum upgrade <package_name> or sudo yum update for all

Remove package: sudo yum remove <package_name> Downgrade package: sudo yum downgrade <package_name>-<version> Search package: yum search <package_name> List installed: yum list installed [<package_name>] Show available versions: yum list <package_name> --showduplicates Version lock: sudo yum versionlock add <package_name>[-version] Unlock version: sudo yum versionlock delete <package_name> Clear all locks: sudo yum versionlock clear List locks: yum versionlock list Tip: To use version locking, install the plugin with sudo yum install yum-plugin-versionlock.

apt/apt-get

Edit sources: sudo apt edit-sources [<source_name>] Update source list: sudo apt update or sudo apt-get update Install package: sudo apt install <package_name>[=<version>] (same for apt-get)

Upgrade package: sudo apt upgrade <package_name> Remove package: sudo apt remove <package_name> Purge package (remove config files): sudo apt purge <package_name> List installed: apt list [<package_name>] -i Search package: apt-cache search <package_name> --names-only Show package details: apt-cache show <package_name> Fix broken dependencies: sudo apt-get -f install Auto‑remove unused packages: sudo apt-get autoremove Show package history (available versions): apt-cache policy <package_name> List all versions: apt list <package_name> -a or apt-cache madison <package_name> Hold (lock) version: sudo apt-mark hold <package_name> Unhold (unlock) version: sudo apt-mark unhold <package_name> Show held packages:

apt-mark showhold

dpkg / rpm

Install: sudo dpkg -i <deb_name> [--force-depends] or sudo rpm -ivh <rpm_name> Upgrade: sudo rpm -Uvh <rpm_name> Remove: sudo dpkg -r <deb_name> or sudo rpm -e [--nodeps] <rpm_name> Purge (remove config files): sudo dpkg -P <deb_name> Search installed packages: dpkg -l <deb_name> or rpm -qa <rpm_name> Show package info: dpkg -s <deb_name> or rpm -qi <rpm_name> List package files: dpkg -L <deb_name> or rpm -ql <rpm_name> Find owning package of a file: dpkg -S <file_name> or

rpm -qf <file_name>

Source Compilation Installation

Prepare source code package.

wget https://nginx.org/download/nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz
 tar -xzvf nginx-1.24.0.tar.gz
 cd nginx-1.24.0

Install build dependencies (example for nginx). sudo yum install pcre-devel zlib-devel Configure, compile and install.

./configure --prefix=/usr/local/nginx
 make
 sudo make install

Verify installation.

/usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -version
 sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx
 sudo /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx -s stop

Optional: create a symbolic link for easier access.

echo $PATH
 sudo ln -s /usr/local/nginx/sbin/nginx /usr/sbin/nginx
 nginx -version
 sudo nginx
 sudo nginx -s stop

Uninstall: remove the symlink and the installation directory, or run make uninstall if supported.

sudo rm -f /usr/sbin/nginx
 sudo rm -rf /usr/local/nginx
 # sudo make uninstall (if provided)

Conclusion

Convenience: apt‑get is the most convenient (handles dependencies automatically), followed by dpkg , while source compilation requires manual dependency handling.

Customizability: Source compilation offers the highest customizability, allowing custom build options; dpkg is next, and apt‑get provides the least.

Required privileges: Source compilation can be performed with minimal privileges, dpkg needs moderate rights, and apt‑get typically requires root access.