.rpm

What is a .rpm file?

RPM is the package format for Red Hat-based Linux distributions — Fedora, CentOS, RHEL, and openSUSE.

Use caution
Type System
By Red Hat
MIME application/x-rpm

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What is it

You're installing software on Fedora, CentOS, RHEL, openSUSE, or another Red Hat-based Linux distribution. The package format is .rpm — Red Hat Package Manager, one of the two major Linux packaging systems (the other being .deb for Debian-based distributions).

An RPM file contains compiled software, metadata (dependencies, version, description, changelogs), and installation scripts. The rpm command handles individual package installation, while dnf (Fedora) and yum (older RHEL/CentOS) manage dependencies — automatically downloading and installing required packages. RPM supports digital signatures for verifying package authenticity, and repositories sign their packages so the package manager can verify integrity before installation.

Install with `sudo dnf install package.rpm` (Fedora/RHEL 8+) or `sudo yum install package.rpm` (older RHEL/CentOS). Both resolve dependencies automatically. For inspecting contents without installing: `rpm -qlp package.rpm` lists files, `rpm -qip package.rpm` shows metadata. As with .deb, only install RPM packages from trusted repositories.

Technical details
Full Name
RPM Package
MIME Type
application/x-rpm
Developer
Red Hat
Magic Bytes
ED AB EE DB
Safety
.rpm requires caution. RPM packages install software with system-level access. Only install from trusted repositories.
What opens it
rpm / dnf / yum
FREE Linux (Red Hat-based)
FAQ
Can I install RPM packages on Ubuntu?
Not directly. Ubuntu uses .deb packages. The `alien` tool can convert RPM to DEB (`sudo alien package.rpm`), but it's unreliable for complex packages. Better to find a .deb version or build from source.
What's the difference between RPM and DEB?
Both are Linux package formats with similar capabilities. RPM is used by Red Hat-based distributions (Fedora, RHEL, CentOS). DEB is used by Debian-based distributions (Ubuntu, Mint). The package format matches your distribution — you can't swap them.
Related formats