How to Install Commands and Packages on CentOS

Most Linux commands come in packages. If a command is missing, install the package that provides it. CentOS gives you several tools for this.

Method 1: yum

yum is the classic package manager of CentOS 7:

sudo yum install <package_name>

Example, to install the which command:

sudo yum install which -y

The -y option answers "yes" to the confirmation question.

dnf replaces yum in CentOS 8 and later (and in AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux). It is faster and handles dependencies better.

sudo dnf install <package_name>

Example:

sudo dnf install which -y

rpm is the low-level tool that installs a single .rpm file. It does not fetch dependencies for you.

sudo rpm -i <package_name.rpm>

Example:

sudo rpm -i which-2.22-1.el7.rpm

Tip: Prefer yum or dnf when you can, because they also install what the package needs.

Flatpak packages carry their own dependencies. Install Flatpak:

sudo yum install flatpak -y

Add the Flathub repository:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Install an app:

flatpak install flathub <package_name>

If a command is not found, ask the package manager which package provides it:

sudo yum provides */which

On dnf systems use sudo dnf provides */which.

Graphical software center. Search for the package and click Install.
Third-party repositories. Some commands are not in the default repositories. Add a trusted repository such as EPEL (sudo yum install epel-release) and install from it.

Back up the system before big changes.
Use sudo to install, remove or update packages.
Be careful with third-party repositories and install only from sources you trust.
Read the documentation of a command before you use it.