SUSE rpm Commands Vs Zypper Commands

 

SUSE rpm and zypper management commands for SUSE 12 and SUSE 15

These commands are used for package management tasks such as installing, updating, and removing software packages.

Task	RPM Command	Zypper Command
Install a Package	rpm -ivh package.rpm	zypper install package
Remove a Package	rpm -e package	zypper remove package
Upgrade a Package	rpm -Uvh package.rpm	zypper update package
Check for Updates	N/A	zypper list-updates
Update All Packages	rpm -Fvh *.rpm	zypper update
List Installed Packages	rpm -qa	zypper packages --installed-only
Search for a Package	rpm -q package	zypper search package
Display Package Info	rpm -qi package	zypper info package
List Files in a Package	rpm -ql package	zypper files package
Verify a Package	rpm -V package	zypper verify package
Add a Repository	N/A	zypper addrepo URL repo-name
Remove a Repository	N/A	zypper removerepo repo-name
Refresh Repositories	N/A	zypper refresh
Clean Local Cache	N/A	zypper clean

Key Points:

• RPM: The rpm command is used for low-level package management tasks and works directly with RPM packages. It doesn't handle dependencies automatically.
• Zypper: A higher-level package management tool that works with repositories, handles dependencies automatically, and provides a more comprehensive interface for managing software packages.

Both RPM and Zypper are available on SLES 12 and 15, and while RPM is useful for specific tasks, Zypper is generally recommended for most package management operations due to its ability to handle dependencies and work with repositories efficiently.