rpm-ostree

Hybrid image and package system for immutable OS

TLDR

Show deployment status

$ rpm-ostree status

Preview available upgrades

$ rpm-ostree upgrade --preview

Upgrade and reboot

$ rpm-ostree upgrade -r

Rollback to previous deployment

$ rpm-ostree rollback -r

Install package and reboot

$ rpm-ostree install [package] -r

SYNOPSIS

rpm-ostree [status|upgrade|rollback|install|uninstall] [-r] [options]

rpm-ostree combines OSTree image-based deployment with RPM package layering. It manages immutable base images while allowing package customization, used by Fedora Silverblue, CoreOS, and similar systems.
Changes create new deployments rather than modifying the running system. Multiple deployments can coexist, enabling easy rollback to previous states.

PARAMETERS

-r, --reboot

Reboot after operation

--preview

Show what would be upgraded

--check

Check for updates only

--cache-only

Use only cached data

COMMANDS

status

Show current deployments

upgrade

Download and prepare upgrade

rollback

Switch to previous deployment

install

Layer package on base image

uninstall

Remove layered package

rebase

Switch to different base image

override

Override base packages

CAVEATS

Changes require reboot to take effect. Base system is immutable. Package layering has overhead. Some packages may conflict with immutable model.

HISTORY

rpm-ostree was developed by Red Hat to combine the reliability of OSTree image deployment with the flexibility of RPM package management for container-focused and immutable desktop distributions.