"Linux" is the name of the kernel. A distribution is a complete operating system that is built on that kernel. It puts together:
Settings files in /etcsettings, the directory layout
A package managerinstalls and updates programs
The shell and the commandsbash, ls, grep, cp …
The Linux kernelthe same in every distribution
A package manager is a program that installs, updates and removes other programs.
Common distributions
| Family | Distributions | Package manager |
|---|---|---|
| Debian | Debian, Ubuntu | apt |
| Red Hat | Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora, Rocky Linux | dnf |
| Alpine | Alpine Linux, a very small distribution | apk |
The commands in this course work the same on all of them. Many guides on the internet start with an apt or dnf line. Use the one for your family.
Which distribution is this?
The file /etc/os-release names the distribution and its version:
text
learner@tidepool:~$ cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="24.04"
...Two version numbers
| Command | Version of | Example |
|---|---|---|
uname -r | The kernel | 6.8.0-45-generic |
grep VERSION_ID /etc/os-release | The distribution | 24.04 |
The two numbers are not related. Ubuntu 24.04 ships with one kernel version, and the kernel can be updated later.