{"id":34489,"date":"2021-09-13T13:21:29","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T13:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/?p=34489"},"modified":"2022-04-12T13:10:22","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T13:10:22","slug":"what-linux-version","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linuxiac.com\/what-linux-version\/","title":{"rendered":"What Linux Version Am I Running? Here’s How to Find Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are various reasons why you might want to find which Linux distribution you are using or the OS version of your Linux system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: What Is Linux? A Guide for Non-technical Users<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When most people talk of Linux, they are usually referr to a Linux distribution, but this is not the case. Above all, “What Linux version am I running?<\/strong>” can mean two different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Linux Kernel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most people think of Linux as an operating system, but it is a kernel. A kernel is the lowest level of software that can interface with computer hardware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the kernel is a bridge between the software and hardware of a computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Linux OS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the other side, Linux-based operating systems are called Linux distributions<\/a> which usually include the Linux kernel and software package managers, software, and graphical user interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, Linux operating system has primarily three components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. The kernel<\/strong> is a program at the heart of the Linux operating system that takes care of fundamental stuff, like letting hardware communicate with software.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. System Libraries<\/strong> are special functions or programs using which application programs or system utilities access the kernel’s features. These libraries implement most of the functionalities of the operating system.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. System Utility<\/strong> programs are responsible for doing specialized, individual-level tasks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What Linux Version Am I Running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Let’s find out now how to check what Linux distribution and kernel version is installed on your system using the command line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to Find Out Linux Distribution Name and Its Release Version<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    There are several ways to determine what distribution and its version number are running on a system. Below we will show you the three most commonly used approaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Displaying the contents of the \/etc\/os-release file<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Open the terminal and type the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n

    cat \/etc\/os-release<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    <\/div>\n\n\n\n
    Here is what the output of the command looks like in Debian:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \"What<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    And here’s what it looks like in an RHEL-based distribution, in this case, AlmaLinux:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \"What<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    As you can see, the \/etc\/os-release<\/code> file contains operating system identification data, including information about the distribution and its release version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    This file is part of the systemd package and should be present on all modern Linux distributions running systemd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    2. Displaying the contents of the \/etc\/issue file<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    For a more straightforward response to your request for a Linux OS version number, try this cat<\/code> command:<\/p>\n\n\n
    cat \/etc\/issue<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    \"Displaying<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    3. Using the lsb_release command<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    The lsb_release<\/code> command is a helpful utility to find out information about your Linux installation. It displays LSB (Linux Standard Base<\/a>) information about the Linux distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    The syntax is:<\/p>\n\n\n
    lsb_release -a<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    \"Using<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    The lsb_release<\/code> command should work on every Linux distribution, as long as you\u2019ve installed the lsb-release<\/code> package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    For more about the lsb_release<\/code> command in Linux, consult its manual page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    How to Check Linux Kernel Version<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    If you\u2019d like to know which version of the Linux kernel you\u2019re using, type the following command into the terminal and press enter:<\/p>\n\n\n
    uname -a<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    The command uname -a<\/code> shows the version of the Linux kernel you\u2019re using and additional details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    To obtain more detailed Linux kernel information<\/strong>, you can also read the contents of the \/proc\/version<\/code> file.<\/p>\n\n\n
    cat \/proc\/version<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
    \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    As you can see, the \/proc\/version<\/code> file specifies the version of the Linux kernel, the version of GCC used to compile the kernel and the kernel compilation time. It also contains the kernel compiler\u2019s user name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Now you know how to check what Linux version you’re running. From all the information mentioned above, I hope you can now find the installed version of any Linux distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    If you feel any difficulty related to the ways mentioned above, then let us know via your feedback in the comments. We will welcome your queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
    Are you new to Linux? Here is the list of basic Linux commands<\/a> containing all the common commands you\u2019ll need to know to get you started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
    Here’s how to find out what Linux kernel version and distribution your system is running.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4417],"tags":[40,4396],"class_list":["post-34489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips","category-linux-knowledge","tag-kernel","tag-linux-operating-system"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":6},"post_title_panel":"","has_hero_section":"default","506197ce96bbcb6d3890a0cfc252c6e1":"","hero_section":"type-2","hero_elements":[{"id":"custom_title","enabled":true,"heading_tag":"h1","title":"Home","__id":"86FT4mCk-QXAIp6UICvvm"},{"id":"custom_description","enabled":false,"description_visibility":{"desktop":true,"tablet":true,"mobile":false},"__id":"ev3qVhnIOdrdUR_Szp45r"},{"id":"custom_meta","enabled":true,"meta_elements":[{"id":"author","enabled":true,"label":"By","has_author_avatar":"yes","avatar_size":50,"__id":"AVFVivu_kQvXiOQBWec_V"},{"id":"post_date","enabled":false,"label":"On","date_format_source":"default","date_format":"M 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