8 Possible Ways Of Checking Linux Kernel Version

Knowing the Linux Kernel version of your system is essential. It helps to identify compatibility issues, bugs, features, security issues, and many more. Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system.

In this article, I will show you 8 different ways of checking the Linux Kernel version. And the quickest of them is to use:

uname -r

Knowing the Linux kernel version can help you better understand your system and make informed decisions about upgrades, software compatibility, and troubleshooting.

What Is The Linux Kernel?

The Linux kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system. It is a low-level system software that manages and controls the underlying hardware of a computer, providing an interface between the hardware and the higher-level software components.

It acts as a bridge between the user space and the hardware. It performs several key functions such as process management, memory management, device driver management, and system call handling.

Linux kernel is designed to be highly modular and flexible, allowing for the easy addition and removal of functionality through the use of loadable kernel modules.

It is an open-source project and is widely used as the foundation for many different types of operating systems, including embedded systems, servers, and desktop computers.

Linux kernel is highly customizable and configurable, and it is constantly being improved and developed by a large community of developers from all over the world.

Why Do You Need To Know The Linux Kernel Version?

Knowing the Linux Kernel version is important for a number of reasons:

List Of Linux Command For Kernel Version

To check the Linux Kernel version, you can use one of the following commands:

• uname -r
• cat /proc/version
• cat /proc/version_signature
• dmesg | grep “Linux version”
• hostnamectl OR hostnamectl | grep Kernel
• neofetch OR neofetch | grep Kernel
• ls /lib/modules
• inxi -Sz

#1. Check Linux Kernel Using – uname

The uname command is the most commonly used method to find the Linux kernel version. To use this command, open a terminal window and type the following command:

uname -r

This will display the currently running version of the Linux kernel.

Example output:

5.15.0-58-generic

#2. Get Linux Kernel Version Using – cat /proc/version

The /proc/version file contains information about the Linux kernel version and other system details. You can view the contents of this file by using the following command:

cat /proc/version

This will display information about the Linux kernel version, along with other system details.

Example output:

Linux version 5.15.0-58-generic ([email protected]) (gcc (Ubuntu 11.3.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 11.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu) 2.38) #64-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jan 5 11:43:13 UTC 2023

#3. Show Linux Kernel Version Using – cat /proc/version_signature

The /proc/version_signature file contains information about the Linux kernel version. You can view the content of this file by using the following command:

cat /proc/version_signature

This will display information about the Linux kernel version.

Example output:

Ubuntu 5.15.0-58.64-generic 5.15.74

#4. Check Version Of Linux Kernel Using – dmesg

The dmesg command is a Linux utility that displays the “message” buffer of the kernel. The message buffer is a ring buffer that contains messages generated by the Linux kernel and other system components.

The output of the dmesg command will include a number of messages generated by the kernel and other system components. To find information about the Linux kernel version, you need to use the grep command to filter the output. Use the following command:

dmesg | grep "Linux version"

Example output:

[    0.000000] Linux version 5.15.0-58-generic ([email protected]) (gcc (Ubuntu 11.3.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 11.3.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu) 2.38) #64-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jan 5 11:43:13 UTC 2023 (Ubuntu 5.15.0-58.64-generic 5.15.74)

#5. Use “hostnamectl” To Get Linux Kernel Version

The hostnamectl command is a utility that is used to display and manage the hostname and related settings on Linux systems. It provides information about the hostname, operating system, kernel, and other system properties.

To display information about the Linux kernel using the hostnamectl command, you can use the following command:

hostnamectl

Example output:

Static hostname: Linux-PC
Icon name: computer-desktop
Chassis: desktop
Machine ID: b0d275fb46fa48c6820be57edaa22cf5
Boot ID: 043bc189961444999748e7086e705d5c
Operating System: Linux Mint 21.1                 
Kernel: Linux 5.15.0-58-generic
Architecture: x86-64
Hardware Vendor: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd.
Hardware Model: H410M H V2

You can also filter the hostnamectl command using the grep command to find only the Kernel Version of your system. Use the following command to get the Linux Kernel version:

hostnamectl | grep Kernel

Example output:

Kernel: Linux 5.15.0-58-generic

#6. Check Linux Kernel Using – neofetch

neofetch is a popular command-line system information tool for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It displays system information, such as the operating system name and version, desktop environment, hostname, and more, along with an ASCII logo of the operating system.

To display information about the Linux kernel using neofetch, you can simply run the following command in a terminal:

neofetch

Example output:

You can also filter the neofetch command using the grep command to find only the Kernel Version of your system. Use the following command to get the Linux Kernel version:

neofetch | grep Kernel

Example output:

Kernel: 5.15.0-58-generic

#7. Find Linux Kernel Version Using – ls /lib/modules

The /lib/modules directory contains all the loadable Linux kernels. You can use the ls command to get the list of installed Linux Kernels.

Each directory within /lib/modules corresponds to a specific version of the Linux kernel, and contains the modules that are required for that version of the kernel to operate. The name of each directory is the version number of the Linux kernel.

Use the following command to get a list of all the installed Linux Kernels.

ls /lib/modules

Example output:

5.15.0-41-generic 5.15.0-56-generic 5.15.0-57-generic 5.15.0-58-generic

This indicates what Linux kernel is installed on your system, and the corresponding kernel modules are stored in the respective /lib/modules/<linux kernel> directory. For example /lib/modules/5.15.0-58-generic

#8. Get Linux Kernel Version Using – inxi

inxi is a command-line system information tool for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. It provides a comprehensive and detailed display of information about the system’s hardware configuration.

inxi can be used to display information about the Linux kernel, as well as other system components such as the CPU, memory, storage, network, and more. To display information about the Linux kernel using inxi, you can use the following command:

inxi

Example output:

CPU: quad core Intel Core i3-10100 (-MT MCP-) speed/min/max: 800/800/4300 MHz
Kernel: 5.15.0-58-generic x86_64 Up: 2h 38m Mem: 6341.9/15717.1 MiB (40.4%)
Storage: 1.41 TiB (15.0% used) Procs: 398 Shell: Bash inxi: 3.3.13

You can also filter the inxi command using the grep command to find only the Kernel Version of your system. Use the following command to get the Linux Kernel version:

inxi | grep Kernel

Example output:

Kernel: 5.15.0-58-generic x86_64 Up: 2h 39m Mem: 6365.7/15717.1 MiB (40.5%)

Conclusion

There are a lot of ways of checking Linux Kernel version. But the quickest way is to use uname -r command, and I use it every time. However, you can use the other methods if that suits you.