Get Kernel Version for Linux: a Guide

In this article and related video, we will be discussing how to check the kernel version in both Ubuntu and CentOS Linux. The following command works with all Linux distributions, such as Red Hat, CentOS, Debian, and Ubuntu. It also works on other UNIX-like operating systems such as HPUX, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, etc. Use the following command to check which Linux kernel version your server is currently running.

Here's the code to run from the command line.

uname -r
You should receive a result similar to the following.

2.6.32-431.11.2.el6.x86_64

For more information and options, we can review the manual page (or simply the man page) for uname. The man page provides the following additional information.

NAME: uname - print system information
SYNOPSIS: uname [OPTION]...
DESCRIPTION: Print certain system information. With no OPTION, same as -s.
-a, --all
print all information, in the following order, except omit -p and -i if unknown:
-s, --kernel-name
print the kernel name
-n, --nodename
print the network node hostname
-r, --kernel-release
print the kernel release
-v, --kernel-version
print the kernel version
-m, --machine
print the machine hardware name
-p, --processor
print the processor type (non-portable)
-i, --hardware-platform
print the hardware platform (non-portable)
-o, --operating-system
print the operating system
--help display this help and exit
--version
output version information and exit
Full documentation at: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/uname>
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) uname invocation'


If you have thoughts or questions about how to get your kernel version or any other information about your server, consult your web hosting support team. If you are a Liquid Web customer, simply open a ticket with us at support@liquidweb.com, give us a call at 800-580-4985 or, open a chat with us to speak to one of our Level 3 Support Admins. If you are not a customer, speak to a Solutions Advisor today!

Video authored by Justin Palmer.