How to Add the EPEL Repository on CentOS | Hostvento Knowledge Base

What is EPEL?

A repository is an online store of software that your server can install from. CentOS has its own store, but it is fairly small. EPEL stands for Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux. It is a second store with extra programs, such as htop, certbot and many tools. It is free and made to work with CentOS.

Before you start

Log in to your server as root, or as a user who can use sudo.
Log in with SSH. SSH is a safe way to type commands on a faraway server. Your welcome email has the login details.
Take a backup or snapshot if the server holds important data.

Steps for CentOS 7

Update your current packages:
```
sudo yum update -y
```
This command refreshes all software to the newest version.
Install the EPEL release package:
```
sudo yum install epel-release -y
```
This command adds the EPEL store to your server.
Check that it was added:
```
yum repolist
```
Look for a line that starts with epel.
Install a program from it to test:
```
sudo yum install htop -y
```

Steps for CentOS 8 and newer

Install EPEL with dnf:
```
sudo dnf install epel-release -y
```
On some versions you must also turn on the extra tools store:
```
sudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled powertools
```
The name may be crb on newer systems.
Refresh the list:
```
sudo dnf makecache
```

Common problems

No package epel-release available: Your CentOS version may be too old or not supported anymore. Ask Hostvento support.
Could not resolve host: Your server cannot reach the internet or its DNS is broken. DNS turns names into addresses.
Package conflicts: Read the message. It often names the package that is clashing.

Tip: CentOS 7 is old, and CentOS 8 has ended. Newer systems like AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux use the same epel-release command.

Quick recap

EPEL is a store of extra free software.
Run sudo yum install epel-release -y on CentOS 7.
Use dnf on newer versions.
Check with yum repolist.