Install RPM packages on Ubuntu

The Ubuntu repositories contain thousands of .deb packages that you can install from the Ubuntu Software Center or by using the apt command-line utility. .deb is the package format used by Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu. Some packages are not available in the standard Ubuntu repositories, but you can often install them by enabling the appropriate source.

When the software vendor does not provide a repository, they usually offer a download page where you can get a .deb package or download and compile the software from source.

In some cases, software is distributed only as an RPM package. RPM is a package format used by Red Hat distributions such as Fedora and RHEL. In that case, you can use a tool called alien to install an RPM file on Ubuntu or convert it to a Debian package file.

Before you Begin #

This is not the recommended way to install software packages in Ubuntu. Whenever possible, you should prefer installing software from the Ubuntu repositories.

Not all RPM packages can be installed on Ubuntu. Installing RPM packages on Ubuntu may lead to dependency conflicts.

You should never use this method to replace or update important system packages, like libc, systemd, or other services and libraries that are essential for the proper functioning of your system. Doing this may lead to errors and system instability.

Install Alien #

Alien is a tool that supports conversion between Red Hat RPM, Debian DEB, Stampede SLP, Slackware TGZ, and Solaris PKG file formats.

Before installing the alien package, make sure the Universe repository is enabled on your system:

sudo add-apt-repository universe

Once the repository is enabled, update the packages index and install the alien package with:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install alien

The command above will also install the necessary build tools.

Converting and Installing an RPM package #

To convert a package from RPM to DEB format, use the alien command followed by the RPM package name:

sudo alien package_name.rpm

Depending on the package size, the conversion may take some time. In most cases, you will see warning messages printed on your screen. If the package is successfully converted, the output shows that the DEB package was generated:

package_name.deb generated

To install the .deb package , you can use either the dpkg or apt utility:

sudo dpkg -i package_name.deb

sudo apt install ./package_name.deb

The package should now be installed, assuming it is compatible with your system and all dependencies are met.

Installing an RPM package directly #

Instead of converting the package first, you can use the -i option to tell alien to install the RPM package directly.

sudo alien -i package_name.rpm

The command above will automatically generate and install the package and remove the package file after it has been installed.

Conclusion #

We have shown you how to install RPM packages on Ubuntu using the alien tool, both by converting to a .deb file first and by installing directly.

Whenever possible, install packages from the Ubuntu repositories or request a .deb package from the software vendor, as that avoids the dependency issues that can come with converted RPM packages.

About the authors

Dejan Panovski

Dejan Panovski is the founder of Linuxize, an RHCSA-certified Linux system administrator and DevOps engineer based in Skopje, Macedonia. Author of 800+ Linux tutorials with 20+ years of experience turning complex Linux tasks into clear, reliable guides.

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