Check Linux OS Version in Terminal

Published: Oct 21, 2019 · By: Antonio T.
Check Linux OS Version in Terminal

There are a few ways to check your kernel and linux os version, but today we will cover some commands to do this in a terminal.

Knowing how to check your kernel and linux os version in a terminal can be useful if you ever need help in a forum where they might ask for this information. You can also use this info in a bash script to determine what actions to take in your script based on the kernel and linux os version. Whatever the case may be, it’s a good idea to get familiar with these commands.

Linux OS Version

Get Linux Standard Base info:

lsb_release -a

Output:

No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
Description:	Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS
Release:	18.04
Codename:	bionic

Or:

cat /etc/lsb-release

Output:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=18.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=bionic
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS"

Get Linux Standard Base version only:

lsb_release -r

Output:

Release:	18.04

Get full Linux OS information:

cat /etc/*release

Output:

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=18.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=bionic
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="18.04.3 LTS (Bionic Beaver)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS"
VERSION_ID="18.04"
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
VERSION_CODENAME=bionic
UBUNTU_CODENAME=bionic

Or:

cat /etc/os-release

Output:

NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="18.04.3 LTS (Bionic Beaver)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS"
VERSION_ID="18.04"
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
VERSION_CODENAME=bionic
UBUNTU_CODENAME=bionic

A few more system details:

hostnamectl

Output:

   Static hostname: ubuntu
         Icon name: computer-desktop
           Chassis: desktop
        Machine ID: 76b1059e1a6c4453b277aa20f39b4bca
           Boot ID: e936fa2f2f9e4f56a6176921a76acdb8
  Operating System: Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS
            Kernel: Linux 5.0.0-32-generic
      Architecture: x86-64

Kernel Version

Print the kernel version:

uname -r

Output:

5.0.0-32-generic

Print the kernel version and instruction set:

uname -mrs

Output:

Linux 5.0.0-32-generic x86_64

Print all kernel information:

uname -a

Output:

Linux ubuntu 5.0.0-32-generic #34~18.04.2-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 10 10:36:02 UTC 2019 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Additional kernel information:

cat /proc/version

Output:

Linux version 5.0.0-32-generic (buildd@lgw01-amd64-015) (gcc version 7.4.0 (Ubuntu 7.4.0-1ubuntu1~18.04.1)) #34~18.04.2-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 10 10:36:02 UTC 2019

OS type, kernel release number, and version:

cat /proc/sys/kernel/{ostype,osrelease,version}

Output:

Linux
5.0.0-32-generic
#34~18.04.2-Ubuntu SMP Thu Oct 10 10:36:02 UTC 2019

Conclusion

This concludes our look at how to check your kernel and Linux OS version in terminal. You now know a few ways to obtain the kernel and linux OS information for any situation.

Tags: tutorials, linux, command line
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