YUM DNF Cache Calculator
Calculate disk space consumed by the YUM or DNF package manager metadata and RPM cache.
About YUM DNF Cache Calculator
DNF/yum caches two distinct things under /var/cache/dnf (or /var/cache/yum on older systems): repository metadata (the compressed package lists, dependency info and checksums each enabled repo publishes, needed to resolve `dnf install`/`search` without re-downloading metadata every time) and actual downloaded RPM package files (kept after install unless `keepcache=0`, useful for reinstalling or rolling back without re-downloading). `dnf clean all` removes both, recovering their combined size, at the cost of the next operation needing to re-download metadata (and packages, if reinstalled).
Formula
Cache size
cache_size = repos × packages_per_repo × metadata_per_package + cached_rpm_count × avg_rpm_size
Worked example
With the default values below, YUM DNF Cache Calculator returns Total DNF/Yum Cache Size of 425.47 MB. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Enabled Repositoriesminimum 1
- 6
- Avg Packages Listed per Repominimum 1
- 15,000
- Metadata Overhead per Package (KB)minimum 0.01
- 1.2
- Downloaded RPMs Currently Cachedminimum 0
- 40
- Avg Cached RPM Size (MB)minimum 0.1
- 8
Results
- Total DNF/Yum Cache Size
- 425.47 MB
- Space Recovered by `dnf clean all`
- 425.47 MB
- Repository Metadata Cache
- 105.47 MB
- Downloaded Package (RPM) Cache
- 320 MB
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Cache size
- 3Total DNF/Yum Cache Size= 425.47 MB
- 4Space Recovered by `dnf clean all`= 425.47 MB
- 5Repository Metadata Cache= 105.47 MB
- 6Downloaded Package (RPM) Cache= 320 MB
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 5 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between `dnf clean metadata` and `dnf clean all`?
`dnf clean metadata` removes only the cached repository metadata (forcing a fresh metadata download on the next operation), while `dnf clean all` also removes cached downloaded RPM packages — use `metadata` alone if you just want fresh package lists without losing cached RPMs for possible reinstalls.
Where exactly does DNF store its cache?
Under /var/cache/dnf/, with a separate subdirectory per enabled repository containing both the repo's metadata (repodata/) and any downloaded packages/ subdirectory — `du -sh /var/cache/dnf/*` breaks down usage per repo.
Does clearing the DNF cache affect already-installed packages?
No — clearing the cache only removes downloaded metadata and RPM files used during install/update operations; it has no effect on packages already installed on the system, since those live under the RPM database and filesystem, not the cache directory.