Learn more about DNF remove vs erase. Our Server Management Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

DNF remove vs Erase

In CentOS and other RPM-based Linux distributions, like Fedora, DNF is the default package manager. It helps with software installation, removal, and maintenance.

When it comes to removing packages from your system, DNF offers two options: dnf remove and dnf erase.

Although both commands are used for package removal, they differ slightly as seen here:

• dnf remove:

  The dnf remove command is used to uninstall packages from our system.

  When we use dnf remove, it uninstalls the specified package. However, it leaves the package’s configuration files and related data on our system. In other words, it uses the existing configuration files if we want to reinstall the same package later.

  This comes in handy if want to remove a package but still keep the configuration or data. This makes it easier if there is a reinstallation with the same settings later on.

  Here is an example of how this command works:

  sudo dnf remove package-name
• dnf erase:

  This command is similar to the dnf remove command. It differs only in the fact that the dnf erase command removes a package and all of its configuration files and dependencies.

  Hence, it is an aggressive action and is usually used only when we want to completely remove a package, including all configuration files associated with it.

  Our experts would like to point out that we have to use dnf erase with caution because it can result in the removal of more packages than you might expect, which could potentially break other software.

In brief, the main difference between dnf erase and dnf remove is the extent to which they remove packages and their dependencies. dnf erase removes a package and its configuration files along with any unneeded dependencies, while dnf remove removes a package but leaves its configuration files and does not remove unneeded dependencies.

We can choose the command that suits our needs and be mindful of the consequences of each action.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts introduced us to the difference between DNF remove and DNF erase commands.