Introduction
	Almost everything you add to your VPS — web server, database, mail tools, language interpreters — arrives through a package manager. Each operating system has its own: FreeBSD 15 uses pkg (backed by the Ports Collection for the rare case where a package isn't enough), and Rocky Linux 10 uses dnf (drawing on a small set of repositories). This page covers both, plus how to build software from source when you must. Jump to FreeBSD Packages and Ports or Rocky Linux: dnf and Repositories.
	FreeBSD: pkg Basics
	On FreeBSD, pkg installs pre-built binary packages. pkg search is often the fastest way to find the exact package name; a typical first encounter follows the same short arc — search, look before you leap, install, confirm: $ pkg search nginx # find the exact package name $ pkg info -d nginx # what would it pull in as dependencies? # pkg install nginx # install it (and its dependencies) $ pkg info nginx # confirm the installed version $ pkg info -l nginx | grep etc # where did it put its config files? Keeping packages current is a two-step routine you will run regularly (the Securing Your VPS page folds it into a maintenance habit): # pkg update # refresh the catalog of what's available # pkg upgrade # install newer versions of what you have # pkg autoremove # drop orphaned dependencies nothing needs anymore # pkg clean -a # reclaim disk space from the download cache pkg keeps a log of everything it does in /var/log/pkg.log. If an upgrade leaves a package's config behind as *.pkgsave (because you had edited the original), pkg tells you so; merge your changes into the new file at your convenience.
	FreeBSD: The Ports Collection
	The Ports Collection is the source from which most pkg packages are themselves built — a tree of small Makefiles (one per piece of software) that know how to download, configure, compile, and install it. Almost everyone should use pkg rather than building from ports: it is faster (no compilation) and the packages are built and tested centrally. Two situations where ports still help: you need a non-default build-time option, or you want a version newer than the package repository currently provides. As of FreeBSD 15 the Ports Collection is distributed only via Git (the older portsnap tool has been retired): # pkg install git # git clone https://git.FreeBSD.org/ports.git /usr/ports # ...or track a specific quarterly branch (security fixes, stable versions): # git clone --branch 2026Q2 https://git.FreeBSD.org/ports.git /usr/ports Build a port from inside its directory. make config opens a checklist of optional features (if any); make install clean compiles, installs, and removes the temporary build files: # cd /usr/ports/mail/roundcube # make config # choose build-time options, if any (skip for defaults) # make install clean NOTE: Mixing source-built ports and binary pkg packages on the same system can lead to version mismatches, since the two are updated on different schedules. The simplest, most reliable policy for a typical VPS is to use pkg for everything and reach for ports only for the one package that needs a non-default option.
	Rocky Linux: dnf Basics
	On Rocky Linux, dnf installs RPM packages. The same search-then-install arc applies: $ dnf search nginx # find the exact package name $ dnf info nginx # version, repository, and summary $ dnf repoquery --requires nginx # what would it pull in as dependencies? # dnf install nginx # install it (and its dependencies) $ rpm -ql nginx | grep /etc # where did it put its config files? Keeping current: # dnf upgrade # install newer versions of what you have # dnf autoremove # drop orphaned dependencies nothing needs anymore # dnf clean all # reclaim disk space from the metadata/download cache Every dnf transaction is recorded: dnf history lists them, dnf history info <id> shows exactly what one changed, and dnf history undo <id> rolls one back — invaluable for answering "what changed?" after an upgrade.
	Rocky Linux: Repositories
	A fresh Rocky system installs from a few repositories, and you will add one or two more for software this documentation uses. List the enabled ones with dnf repolist. BaseOS — the core operating system: kernel, system libraries, core utilities. AppStream — applications and runtimes layered on top: Apache, PHP, MariaDB, language interpreters. CRB (CodeReady Builder) — additional libraries and development headers; disabled by default and required by a handful of EPEL packages. EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) — a large, community-maintained repository. Several tools in this documentation live here: web-stats programs, SpamAssassin, ClamAV, fail2ban, Certbot, and Roundcube among them. Because so much depends on EPEL, enable it (and CRB) early: # dnf install epel-release # dnf config-manager --set-enabled crb # dnf upgrade Add third-party repositories deliberately and from sources you trust: each one is software allowed to install onto your VPS as root.
	Building from Source
	When no package exists, you can compile an upstream tarball the traditional way. Install the compiler toolchain and use the familiar three-step dance, keeping hand-built software under /usr/local so it never collides with packaged files: # FreeBSD: pkg install gcc (clang is already in the base system) # Rocky Linux: dnf group install "Development Tools" $ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local $ make # make install On Rocky Linux, the closest equivalent to a "ports" build is rebuilding a source RPM — take the distribution's own .spec recipe, optionally tweak it, and produce your own binary RPM with rpm-build and rpmdevtools. See the Perl page's note on XS modules for a common reason you may need a compiler even when you weren't planning to build anything by hand.
	Documentation
	The pkg(8) and ports(7) manual pages on FreeBSD, and dnf(8) on Rocky Linux, document every option. Fuller guides: FreeBSD Handbook: Installing Applications Rocky Linux Documentation