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Asked: 2024-09-25T14:03:11+05:30 In: ,

I’m having trouble installing yum on my Ubuntu 20.04 instance running on AWS EC2. Can anyone provide guidance on how to resolve this issue?

I’m in a bit of a bind and hoping someone can help me out here. I’m trying to set up a new instance of Ubuntu 20.04 on AWS EC2, and I really want to install some packages using `yum`. But here’s the catch: I thought `yum` was a package manager that I could just install like I did on my CentOS server, but I just can’t seem to get it working on Ubuntu.

When I try to use the command, I get an error saying that it’s not installed, which totally makes sense since I know Ubuntu uses `apt`. But I’ve got some old scripts and setup that are all geared toward `yum`, and I really want to avoid rewriting everything if I can help it. So, I started Googling to see if there’s a way to get `yum` up and running on Ubuntu.

I found a few articles suggesting that I could install `yum` by downloading certain packages, but none of them seem to give me a straightforward guide to do this. I even tried adding some repositories, but that just ended up in more confusion with dependencies and conflicts!

Is there any chance someone out there has run into this issue before and can point me in the right direction? I mean, if `yum` is basically for RPM-based systems, do I really need it at all? I’m starting to think I should just convert everything over to `apt`, but I really don’t want to deal with that if I can avoid it—I have way too much going on right now!

If you’ve managed to get `yum` working on your Ubuntu instance (or even if you just have a better way to handle the situation), I would really appreciate any tips or solutions you can share. Maybe there’s a workaround or an alternate package manager that I didn’t consider? Just looking for some practical advice here! Thanks a ton!

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    2 Answers


    1. It sounds like you’re in a tricky spot! Honestly, trying to use `yum` on Ubuntu can be pretty frustrating since it’s not meant to work that way. `yum` is for RPM-based distros like CentOS and Fedora, and Ubuntu is built on Debian, which is why you need to use `apt` instead.

      If you have a bunch of old scripts that use `yum`, it might be annoying, but it could be easier to convert them to use `apt`. There are a lot of similarities between the two package managers, so you might be able to get it sorted out without too much hassle. For example:

      • To install a package: apt install package-name
      • To update your package list: apt update
      • To upgrade installed packages: apt upgrade

      As for `yum`, while some people have managed to get it to sort of work on Ubuntu, it’s usually not worth the trouble and can lead to all kinds of dependency hell. Instead of trying to wrestle with it, you might want to focus on updating your scripts to use `apt`. If you really want to stick with `yum`, I think some folks have suggested things like using Docker to run a CentOS container for those scripts. But honestly, that can get complicated.

      If you do go the route of converting to `apt`, you might even find it’s not as bad as you think! There are plenty of guides online to help with the transition, and you’ll get more familiar with it as you go! Good luck with everything!


    2. Using `yum` on Ubuntu is not natively supported since Ubuntu is based on Debian and uses the `apt` package management system. If you find yourself in possession of scripts that depend on `yum`, it is highly recommended to adapt them to use `apt` instead, as `yum` is designed for RPM-based distributions such as CentOS and Fedora. Converting your scripts over to use `apt` may seem like an overwhelming task, but considering the long-term benefits of compatibility and support within Ubuntu, it is worthwhile. You can begin by identifying the packages that your scripts require and researching their equivalent commands and packages available via `apt`.

      If you are still inclined to run `yum` on Ubuntu, note that it is possible but not without complications, and realistically it would require you to install additional compatibility layers like `rpm` and `yum` itself, which is quite complex and fraught with dependency issues. Instead, consider using Docker containers that run CentOS or another RPM-based Linux distro, allowing you to maintain your scripts in an environment suited for `yum` without modifying Ubuntu directly. This approach minimizes disruption to your workflow, as you can isolate tasks and avoid dependency conflicts. Ultimately, transitioning your processes to `apt` would simplify your operations within Ubuntu, enhancing maintainability and support in the long run.

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