What is EPEL?
EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) is a volunteer-based community effort from the Fedora project to create a repository of high-quality add-on packages that complement the Fedora-based Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and its compatible spinoffs, such as CentOS and Scientific Linux.
As part of the Fedora packaging community, EPEL packages are 100% free/libre open source software (FLOSS). Description taken directly from EPEL site: https://fedoraproject.org/
In CentOS 7 it’s easy to install the EPEL repository just type the below command and you are ready to install software from the EPEL repository.
sudo yum install epel-release