How to Install VSCodium on Fedora 44

Fedora developers who like the Visual Studio Code layout but do not want Microsoft’s telemetry usually end up at VSCodium. The cleanest way to install VSCodium on Fedora is through the upstream RPM repository for most mutable systems, while Flathub fits Atomic desktops and workstations that already manage desktop apps with Flatpak.

Fedora does not ship VSCodium in the default repositories, so the source you choose controls updates, cleanup, and first-use behavior. If you meant Microsoft’s official editor instead, use the separate Visual Studio Code on Fedora guide because the package names, repositories, and support model are different.

Install VSCodium on Fedora

The RPM repository is the best default for most Fedora Workstation installs because it gives you the codium package and DNF-managed updates. Flathub is useful when you prefer Flatpak app delivery or use a Fedora Atomic desktop, but the current Flatpak has broad permissions, so treat it as a packaging choice rather than a strict isolation choice.

Method	Source	Update Behavior	Best For	Trade-offs
RPM repository	VSCodium RPM repository	DNF-managed updates from the upstream repo	Most mutable Fedora Workstation systems	Third-party repository and RPM signing key
Flatpak	Flathub	Flatpak app and runtime updates from Flathub	Fedora Atomic desktops or Flathub-first setups	Broad app permissions and a separate Flatpak data path

Install only one build unless you deliberately want to compare both. The RPM and Flatpak packages update separately, store settings in different locations, and make cleanup more confusing when they live on the same workstation.

Update Fedora before installing VSCodium

Start with a metadata refresh and a normal package upgrade so DNF does not trip over stale repository data during the install:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

These commands use sudo for system package and system-wide Flatpak changes. If your account does not have sudo access yet, follow the guide on how to add a user to sudoers on Fedora.

Install VSCodium from the RPM repository

The RPM repository gives you a Fedora-compatible codium package that updates through the same DNF workflow you already use for the rest of the system. The repository is maintained by the VSCodium project, not by Fedora.

sudo curl -fsSL -o /etc/yum.repos.d/vscodium.repo https://repo.vscodium.dev/vscodium.repo

The curl -fsSL options make the download fail on HTTP errors and follow redirects instead of saving an error page as the repo file. The downloaded repo file points DNF at https://repo.vscodium.dev/rpm, enables package GPG checks, and enables repository metadata signature checks. Verify that Fedora can see the repository before you install the package:

dnf repo list --enabled | grep -E '^vscodium[[:space:]]'

Install the editor once the repository is visible:

sudo dnf install codium

Confirm that the RPM build is available in your shell:

codium --version

The first line is the VSCodium version, followed by the build commit and architecture. VSCodium releases frequently, so those values should not be treated as fixed Fedora output.

Install VSCodium from Flathub

The Flatpak build is a good choice when VSCodium should follow your Flathub app workflow instead of DNF. Fedora Workstation usually has Flatpak installed already, but Flathub is still opt-in on many installs.

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Check that the system-wide Flathub remote is available before installing VSCodium:

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options | grep -E '^flathub[[:space:]]+system'

If the remote exists at system scope, install the VSCodium Flatpak:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.vscodium.codium

Verify the installed app record with stable Flatpak metadata fields:

flatpak info com.vscodium.codium | grep -E '^[[:space:]]*(ID|Ref|Arch|Branch|Version|Origin|Installation):'

The Flathub listing currently marks VSCodium as potentially unsafe because the app needs broad permissions for editor workflows. Use the RPM method when you want package-manager integration without the Flatpak permission model.

Launch VSCodium on Fedora

Once VSCodium is installed, you can open it from the terminal or from GNOME Activities.

Open VSCodium from the terminal

The RPM package adds the codium command to your PATH, so this is the quickest way to open the editor from a shell:

codium

If you installed the Flatpak build, launch it with the Flatpak runtime command instead:

flatpak run com.vscodium.codium

Open VSCodium from Activities

If you prefer the desktop launcher, search for VSCodium in Activities and open it from the application grid:

Open Activities.
Search for VSCodium.
Select the VSCodium icon to launch the editor.

Check VSCodium Extension Sources

VSCodium uses Open VSX as its default extension gallery, not Microsoft’s Visual Studio Marketplace. Most common open-source extensions are available, but some Microsoft-published or Marketplace-only extensions can be missing, restricted, or require a manual .vsix install. The VSCodium extension marketplace documentation explains the current options and limitations.

If your workflow depends on Microsoft’s marketplace, proprietary debugging tools, or first-party Remote Development extensions, the Microsoft build is usually the cleaner fit.

Update VSCodium on Fedora

Use the same package manager you installed VSCodium with. Mixing update paths is the easiest way to lose track of which build is actually in use.

Update the RPM installation

The RPM repository updates VSCodium through the normal Fedora upgrade workflow:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

If a newer build is available, DNF installs it alongside the rest of your package updates.

Update the Flatpak installation

Update the Flatpak build with Flatpak rather than DNF:

sudo flatpak update com.vscodium.codium

When no newer Flatpak build is available, the command ends with Nothing to update.

Remove VSCodium from Fedora

Use the matching removal commands for the method you installed. Remove local data only after you have exported any settings, snippets, workspaces, or extensions you want to keep.

Remove the RPM installation

Uninstall the RPM package first:

sudo dnf remove codium

Confirm the package is gone before cleaning up the repository:

rpm -q codium

If you no longer need the upstream repository, remove the repo file and clear the old metadata cache:

sudo rm -f /etc/yum.repos.d/vscodium.repo
sudo dnf clean metadata

This removes the repository source from DNF. The imported RPM signing key can remain in the RPM database; remove it only after auditing that no enabled repository or installed package still relies on the same key.

The next commands permanently delete VSCodium settings, extensions, and remote-development state stored in your home directory. Back up anything you still need before you remove these paths.

Check which local data paths exist for your account:

for path in "$HOME/.config/VSCodium" "$HOME/.vscode-oss" "$HOME/.vscodium-server"; do
    [ -e "$path" ] && printf '%s\n' "$path"
done

No output means those paths are not present for the current account. If you want to keep any listed path, remove it from the command first. To remove all common local VSCodium data paths for the current account, run:

rm -rf "$HOME/.config/VSCodium" "$HOME/.vscode-oss" "$HOME/.vscodium-server"

If you used remote development features against another machine, check and remove ~/.vscodium-server on that remote host separately.

Remove the Flatpak installation

Remove the Flatpak build from the system installation:

sudo flatpak uninstall com.vscodium.codium

Verify that the app ID is no longer installed at system scope:

flatpak list --system --app --columns=application | grep -Fx com.vscodium.codium || echo "NOT_INSTALLED"

Deleting the Flatpak data directory removes local settings, cached data, extensions, and any state stored inside the VSCodium Flatpak profile for the current account.

Check whether the Flatpak data path exists before deleting it:

[ -e "$HOME/.var/app/com.vscodium.codium" ] && printf '%s\n' "$HOME/.var/app/com.vscodium.codium"

If the path exists and you no longer need that profile data, remove it:

rm -rf "$HOME/.var/app/com.vscodium.codium"

Troubleshoot VSCodium on Fedora

These are the Fedora-specific failures most likely to interrupt the install on a current workstation.

Flatpak install fails with a system operation error

If you try the Flatpak install without matching the system-scope remote, Fedora can stop with an error like this:

error: Failed to install org.freedesktop.Sdk: Flatpak system operation Deploy not allowed for user

This usually happens when flathub is configured as a system remote but the install command is run without sudo. Check the Flatpak remote scope first:

flatpak remotes --columns=name,options

If flathub appears with the system option, rerun the install as a system-scope Flatpak operation:

sudo flatpak install flathub com.vscodium.codium

Verify the fix with the installed app metadata:

flatpak info com.vscodium.codium | grep -E '^[[:space:]]*(ID|Origin|Installation):'

DNF cannot find the codium package

When the RPM repository file is missing, stale, or malformed, DNF cannot resolve the package and stops with output like this:

Failed to resolve the transaction:
No match for argument: codium
You can try to add to command line:
  --skip-unavailable to skip unavailable packages

Start by checking whether Fedora can still see the VSCodium repository:

dnf repo list --enabled | grep -E '^vscodium[[:space:]]'

If the command returns no output or the file still points at an older GitLab-hosted repo URL, replace it with the current VSCodium repo file and refresh metadata:

sudo curl -fsSL -o /etc/yum.repos.d/vscodium.repo https://repo.vscodium.dev/vscodium.repo
sudo dnf clean metadata

Run the repository check again. Once it shows the enabled VSCodium repo, retry sudo dnf install codium.

Conclusion

VSCodium is ready on Fedora through the upstream RPM repository or Flathub, with launch, update, extension source, and cleanup paths separated by install method. Add Git on Fedora for version control or enable SSH on Fedora when your projects need a reachable Fedora host.