How to check your Ubuntu version from the command line

1. Why you need to know your Ubuntu version
2. The quickest answer: lsb_release
3. Reading /etc/os-release
4. The old-school /etc/issue
5. A richer view with hostnamectl
6. Checking the kernel version
7. Which one should you use?

#Why you need to know your Ubuntu version

Before I install a package, follow a tutorial, or open a support ticket, I want to know exactly which Ubuntu release I'm on. The version decides which package versions are available, which docs apply, and whether a release is still getting security updates. Here are the commands I reach for.

#The quickest answer: lsb_release

My go-to is lsb_release, which prints the distributor info in a clean format:

lsb_release -a

The -a flag means "all". You'll get the distributor ID, a description like Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS, the release number (24.04), and the codename (noble). If you only want the number, use -r, and -c gives just the codename:

lsb_release -r
lsb_release -c

#Reading /etc/os-release

lsb_release isn't installed on every minimal image, but /etc/os-release always is. It's a plain file you can just print:

cat /etc/os-release

This shows VERSION_ID, VERSION_CODENAME, and PRETTY_NAME. Because it's structured as shell variables, scripts can source it directly, which makes it handy in automation.

#The old-school /etc/issue

For a fast glance, /etc/issue holds the text shown before login:

cat /etc/issue

It prints something like Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS \n \l. The \n and \l are placeholders the login prompt fills in, so just ignore them.

#A richer view with hostnamectl

hostnamectl gives the OS plus the hostname, architecture, and kernel in one go:

hostnamectl

I like this one on servers because the "Operating System" and "Kernel" lines tell me almost everything at a glance.

#Checking the kernel version

The Ubuntu release and the kernel are separate things. To see the running kernel, use uname:

uname -r

The -r flag prints just the kernel release, like 6.8.0-52-generic. Want the full picture, including architecture and build date? Use -a:

uname -a

#Which one should you use?

For everyday use, lsb_release -a is the friendliest. On a stripped-down container or cloud image where it's missing, fall back to cat /etc/os-release. And when you're chasing a driver or hardware issue, uname -r is the kernel detail that actually matters.

Once you know your version, you'll likely want to update Ubuntu from the command line to pull in the latest security patches. While you're sizing up a server, also check how much RAM it has and how many CPU cores. See also the quick Ubuntu version commands.