uname: show basic system information
Report system information such as kernel name, hostname, kernel release and version, and the hardware and CPU architecture.
Typical usage: information gathering, system administrationIntroduction into uname
The uname command provides basic information about a Linux system and the related hardware. It can show the architecture of the machine and the processor.
Installation
When uname is not installed by default, it can be added to the system using the relevant software package.
Package information for uname
| Operating system | Package name | Installation |
|---|---|---|
| AlmaLinux | coreutils | |
| Arch Linux | coreutils | |
| Debian | coreutils | |
| Fedora | coreutils | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | coreutils | |
| Rocky Linux | coreutils | |
| openSUSE | coreutils | |
| Ubuntu | coreutils | |
Your Linux distribution using a different package? Share your feedback.
Usage
Available options
| Long option | Short option | Description |
|---|---|---|
| --all | -a | Show all details, such as kernel name, hostname, kernel release and version, and CPU architecture |
| --hardware-platform | -i | Show hardware platform |
| --kernel-name | -s | Show kernel name |
| --kernel-release | -r | Show kernel release |
| --kernel-version | -v | Show kernel version, usually information about when the kernel was built |
| --machine | -m | Show machine hardware name, often the same as hardware platform and CPU architecture |
| --nodename | -n | Show hostname of system |
| --operating-system | -o | Show operating system |
| --processor | -p | Show CPU architecture, if available |
Missing an option in this overview? Share your feedback.
Examples using uname
Show all available information
uname -aExample output of uname:
# uname -a
Linux debian-test 6.1.0-28-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Debian 6.1.119-1 (2024-11-22) x86_64 GNU/Linux
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the uname command and its purpose?
The uname command is a command-line tool on Linux to show basic system information.
Which package provides the uname command?
The command uname is provided by the coreutils package.
Relevant articles using the uname command
The following articles include an example on how to use uname and might be worth further exploring.