> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developer.upsun.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How we host an RPM repository on AWS S3

> Learn how to host an RPM repository entirely on AWS S3 with no active components, minimal cost, and authenticated access using IAM.


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<PostMeta data={{ author: ["ralt"], date: "2026-03-17T10:00:00.000Z", image: "/images/posts/how-it-works/rpm-repo-s3/rpm-logo.webp" }} />

If you've read the post about [hosting Debian repositories on S3](/posts/how-it-works/debian-repo-s3), you already know the trick: static files on a bucket, no server in sight. Turns out, the same approach works for RPM repositories. But the format is different enough that it deserves its own walkthrough.

Our servers run Debian, so this isn't about our production fleet. But we distribute tools (our CLI, internal utilities) that people on Fedora or RHEL need to install too, and a proper RPM repository beats telling everyone to `curl | rpm -i` from a random URL.

If you've ever configured `yum` or `dnf`, you've probably edited a `.repo` file. That's the starting point.

## What's in a `.repo` file

A typical entry in `/etc/yum.repos.d/` looks like this:

```ini theme={null}
[internal-packages]
name=Internal Packages
baseurl=https://rpm-repo.platform.sh/el9/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://rpm-repo.platform.sh/el9/RPM-GPG-KEY-internal
```

The structure is pretty flat. The `baseurl` points to the root of the repository, and everything (package lists, metadata, signatures) lives under that path in a predictable layout. No nested concepts like distributions or components to worry about.

## How `dnf` fetches packages

When `dnf` (or `yum`, same idea) processes a repository, it does roughly this:

1. It fetches `$baseurl/repodata/repomd.xml`. This is the entry point. It contains references to all the metadata files and their checksums.
2. From `repomd.xml`, it learns the paths to `primary.xml.gz`, `filelists.xml.gz`, and `other.xml.gz`. The important one is `primary.xml.gz`, which contains the actual list of packages.
3. If GPG checking is enabled, it verifies `repomd.xml` against `repomd.xml.asc`.

The `primary.xml.gz` file contains entries like this:

```xml theme={null}
<package type="rpm">
  <name>nginx</name>
  <arch>x86_64</arch>
  <version epoch="0" ver="1.24.0" rel="1.el9"/>
  <checksum type="sha256">a1b2c3d4...</checksum>
  <summary>A high performance web server</summary>
  <location href="Packages/nginx-1.24.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm"/>
  <size package="623104" installed="1843200"/>
</package>
```

Checksums ensure integrity, transitively trusted through the signed `repomd.xml`. And the `location` field points to the actual `.rpm` file relative to `baseurl`. A signed index that references checksummed packages.

## Generating the metadata

The standard tool for this is `createrepo_c`. You point it at a directory full of `.rpm` files:

```bash theme={null}
createrepo_c /path/to/repo/
```

It produces the entire `repodata/` directory with all the XML metadata, checksums, and (if configured) GPG signatures. One command, everything generated.

The resulting folder structure:

```
repodata/
  repomd.xml
  repomd.xml.asc
  primary.xml.gz
  filelists.xml.gz
  other.xml.gz
Packages/
  nginx-1.24.0-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
  redis-7.0.12-1.el9.x86_64.rpm
```

All static files. Our CI jobs build this structure on local disk, then `aws s3 sync . s3://...`. Done.

(Side note: we ended up building [repogen](https://github.com/ralt/repogen), a CLI tool that handles this metadata generation for RPM, Debian, Pacman, etc repositories all at once. But `createrepo_c` works perfectly fine on its own if RPM is all you need.)

... well, almost.

## Authentication

These are internal repositories. Public S3 buckets are not an option.

The `yum`/`dnf` ecosystem handles this with plugins. Which one you use depends on your package manager:

* [`yum-s3-iam`](https://github.com/seporaitis/yum-s3-iam) for `yum`-based systems (RHEL 7 and older). It's yum-only and doesn't work with DNF.
* [`dnf-plugin-s3transport`](https://github.com/ashi009/dnf-plugin-s3transport) is the one for `dnf`-based systems (RHEL 8+, Fedora). If you're setting this up today, this is most likely the one you want.

With the right plugin installed, your `.repo` file becomes:

```ini theme={null}
[internal-packages]
name=Internal Packages
baseurl=s3://internal-rpm-repository/el9/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
s3_enabled=1
```

The plugin handles AWS authentication using IAM roles or instance credentials. No access keys in config files, no credentials to rotate and distribute. Machines authenticate based on *what they are* (their instance role), not based on credentials someone has to manage.

## Versioning with separate repositories

If you want different streams of packages (per Git tag, per release channel), you create separate repositories. Each one is its own `baseurl`, its own `repodata/`, its own S3 prefix.

```
s3://internal-rpm-repo/el9/stable/
s3://internal-rpm-repo/el9/testing/
s3://internal-rpm-repo/el9/v2.3.1/
```

Each prefix is a self-contained repository. You point your `.repo` file at the one you want, run `dnf update`, and you get exactly the packages from that tag. Upgrades are deterministic, and rollbacks are a config change.

***

If you're running a fleet of RHEL-based systems and you've been thinking about hosting your own RPM repository, consider skipping the server entirely. S3 (or blob storage in general) does the job, `createrepo_c` generates the metadata, and an IAM plugin handles auth. The whole thing is a CI pipeline and a bucket.