Check Linux Version Using Command Universally

Table of Contents

Check Linux Version

In this article, I will share some commands to check the Linux version, for Debian, Redhat to arch Linux, and their derivative distros. Each Linux distro has a different version, even though it has the same main distro base. That happens because the development of the Linux version will be different by the developer.

The command to check the Linux version for each distro is also different, depending on the derivative. For first let’s take a look at Debian and its derivatives like Ubuntu, Pop OS, ElementaryOS, Kali Linux, and others.

Check Debian Version

If you are using a Linux distro based on Debian and Ubuntu, the easiest way to see your OS version is to use the following command:

lsb_release -a

Check RedHat Version

Unlike Ubuntu, if you are using a Linux distribution based on RedHat, please use the find rhel version command below:

hostnamectl

Check Arch Version

To find Linux version of Arch, similar to Debian based. Use the command to check Linux version:

lsb_release -a

Other Command to check the OS version

In addition to the above method, there is another command that you can use universally. It is compatible with various types of Linux distros and the results provided are more complete than the command above.

Please use this command:

cat /etc/os-release

For example, when I use the “cat /etc/os-release” command, it will output something like this:

Command Linux Get OS Version Universally

Command to Chek Kernel Version

If you want to know the Linux kernel version of your distro, use the “uname -r” command as follows:

uname -r

For example, after typing the word “uname -r” in the terminal, the result is:

neon@pop-os:~$ uname -r
5.18.10-76051810-generic

So, I’m currently using Linux kernel version 5.18.10. Hopefully, this article can be useful for you.