Package Management

There are two types of Fedora system; “traditional”, which use DNF, and “image-based” which use rpm-ostree.

Traditional package management

On a traditional Fedora system, software is divided into RPM packages, which can be managed via DNF.

Hybrid image/package management

The “Atomic” variant of Fedora uses rpm-ostree to update the host. rpm-ostree is a hybrid image/package system. By default, installations are in “image” mode using OSTree, but additional packages can be installed. It also supports overrides, rebases, and many other features. For more information, see its online documentation.

Additionally, the atomic CLI supports installation of system containers, which are Docker/OCI images distinct from the host user space. For more information, see its online documentation.