How do you find the Ubuntu version (release number / name) from the command line?

Josiah

Posted 2009-08-12T06:49:05.847

Reputation: 1 662

Related (cross site): How can I find the version of Ubuntu that is installed?

– Peter Mortensen – 2018-04-07T20:52:12.537

Answers

Run lsb_release with the -a switch.

$ lsb_release -a
No LSB modules are available.
Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description:    Ubuntu 9.04
Release:    9.04
Codename:   jaunty

user4358

Posted 2009-08-12T06:49:05.847

Reputation:

lsb_release -rs will provide the version # alone too – JREAM – 2018-07-12T09:45:09.420

That works on any LSB compliant distribution, right? I tried it on my debian 6 (squeeze) install, and it worked too. – Warren P – 2011-02-06T22:19:47.643

1Yes. The command 'lsb_release' is from the Linux Standards Base. From the man page; "The lsb_release command provides certain LSB (Linux Standard Base) and distribution-specific information." – jeremiah – 2011-04-19T20:33:52.367

$ cat /etc/issue
Ubuntu 8.10 \n \l

CoverosGene

Posted 2009-08-12T06:49:05.847

Reputation: 1 508

5It's worth remembering that /etc/issue may be edited by admins to give a different welcome message.. – Dentrasi – 2010-03-12T19:04:06.480

I have a Docker image where I'm not root and don't have lsb_release (and the Ubuntu image it's built on is apparently far up the docker dependency chain), this worked well to suss out which Ubuntu it's running absent lsb_release. Also, FWIW @WarrenP I'm seeing /etc/debian_version on this (virtual) machine – MichaelChirico – 2019-08-14T05:56:03.070

This is a useful fallback on non-LSB compliant systems. So is /etc/debian_version (if present), it's a debian based distro. I don't know if Ubuntu leaves the debian_version file there or makes an /etc/Ubuntu_version file though. – Warren P – 2011-02-06T22:20:03.183

source from /etc/lsb-release to export version information variables into your shell:

$ . /etc/lsb-release

Contains the following variables

$ cat /etc/lsb-release
DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=14.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=trusty
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 14.04 LTS"

Adam Griffiths

Posted 2009-08-12T06:49:05.847

Reputation: 117

You shouldn't be using /etc/lsb-release directly. The spec requires you to query using the lsb_release command which can query other sources of information. – Michał Górny – 2016-10-21T12:52:06.517

I consider this an appropriate answer until someone bothers to write a command that goes through the lsb_release command and extracts these. – Adam Griffiths – 2017-02-16T00:02:17.930

1I have no lsb_release package installed and I am not sudo. It was useful for me! – Erick M. Sprengel – 2017-08-03T17:36:43.880

-3

$ uname -a

Linux debian 2.7.30-1-686 #1 SMP Thu May 8 02:16:39 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

uname -a anaylsis:

Linux: is the kernel name.

debian: is the machine's hostname.

2.7.30-1-686: is the kernel version

1 SMP Thu May 8 02:16:39 UTC 2008: SMP stands for symmetric multiprocessing, denoting that the CPU (central processing unit) is using two or more CPUs and the current system date

i686: is the CPU architecture

GNU/Linux: is OS

Registered

Posted 2009-08-12T06:49:05.847

Reputation: 261

8-1, uname doesn't tell you the ubuntu version. lsb_release is the way to go. – ThatGraemeGuy – 2009-09-04T04:20:51.450