RPM, or the Red Hat Package Manager, is a powerful tool for managing software on Linux systems. It allows you to easily install, update, and remove software packages on your system. In this article, we will focus on how to remove or uninstall RPM packages on a Linux system.

Before we begin, it is important to note that uninstalling a package can have unintended consequences, such as removing dependencies that other packages rely on. Therefore, it is always a good idea to make sure you have a backup of your system before uninstalling any packages. Additionally, it is always a good idea to check for any updates to the package you wish to uninstall before proceeding.

There are two main ways to uninstall RPM packages in Linux: using the RPM command and using a package manager such as yum or dnf.

Using the RPM Command

The RPM command is the most basic and direct way to uninstall an RPM package. The command is simple: "rpm -e [package name]." For example, if you wanted to uninstall the package “example,” you would use the command "rpm -e example."

rpm -e example

It’s important to note that when you remove a package with this command it will also remove any dependencies of that package that were installed as part of that package.

For example, if package A depends on package B and package B was installed as part of package A, then if you remove package A, package B will be removed as well.

It is also possible to use the “-nodeps” option to remove a package without removing any of its dependencies.

For example, the command "rpm -e --nodeps example" would remove the package “example” without removing any of its dependencies.

rpm -e --nodeps example

Using Yum or Dnf

Another way to uninstall RPM packages in Linux is to use a package manager such as yum or dnf. Both yum and dnf are used to manage software packages on Red Hat-based Linux systems.

To uninstall a package using yum, you can use the command "yum remove [package name]."

For example, to remove the package “example,” you would use the command "yum remove example."

yum remove example

Similarly, to uninstall a package using dnf, you can use the command "dnf remove [package name]."

For example, to remove the package “example,” you would use the command "dnf remove example."

dnf remove example

Just like with the RPM command, uninstalling a package with yum or dnf will also remove any dependencies of that package that were installed as part of that package.

Removing Package Dependencies

As mentioned earlier, when you remove a package, any dependencies of that package that were installed as part of that package will also be removed. In some cases, this may not be desired, as the dependencies may be needed by other packages on the system.

If you wish to remove a package and keep its dependencies, you can use the "--nodeps" option with the RPM command.

For example, the command "rpm -e --nodeps example" would remove the package “example” without removing any of its dependencies.

rpm -e --nodeps example

Alternatively, you can use a package manager such as yum or dnf to remove a package and its dependencies separately.

To remove a package and its dependencies separately using yum, you can use the command "yum remove [package name] [dependency name]." For example, to remove the package “example” and its dependency “dependency,” you would use the command "yum remove example dependency."

yum remove example dependency

Similarly, to remove a package and its dependencies separately using dnf, you can use the command "dnf remove [package name] [dependency name]."

For example, to remove the package “example” and its dependency “dependency,” you would use the command "dnf remove example dependency."

dnf remove example dependency

It’s important to note that removing a package and its dependencies separately can be a more complicated process, as it requires you to manually identify and remove each dependency. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to check the package’s documentation or use the command "rpm -qR [package name]" to view a list of the package’s dependencies before proceeding.

rpm -qR [package name]

Removing Orphaned Packages

In some cases, you may find that you have packages on your system that are no longer needed or required by any other packages. These are known as “orphaned packages.” Orphaned packages can be removed using the "rpm -e --nodeps" command, just like any other package. However, it’s important to note that removing an orphaned package will not remove any of its dependencies, as they are not needed by any other packages on the system.

To find orphaned packages on your system, you can use the command "package-cleanup --leaves." This command will list all packages that are installed on your system but not required by any other packages.

package-cleanup --leaves

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed how to uninstall RPM packages in Linux using the RPM command, yum, and dnf. We have also covered how to remove package dependencies and orphaned packages.

It’s important to note that uninstalling a package can have unintended consequences, so it’s always a good idea to make sure you have a backup of your system before proceeding. Additionally, it is always a good idea to check for any updates to the package you wish to uninstall before proceeding. With this information, you should now be able to confidently and safely manage your RPM packages on a Linux system.