What OS My VPS is Running On? Here’s How to Check It

Some times you just forgot what Linux Distribution (OS) is installed and running on your VPS or may be you’ve just received your VPS with no information about what OS is running on it. If you are somehow in that situation on what to check it, here it is a list of useful Unix command to check what Linux Distribution is running on your server plsu some more information about version number, release codename, and kernel version.

Check Distribution Name & Version Details

There are several command you can use.

First magic command:

cat /etc/*-release

And here’s sample output:

CentOS:

Ubuntu:

Debian:

Second magic command:

cat /etc/issue

Sample output (screenshot)

CentOS:

Ubuntu:

Debian:

Check Linux VPS Kernel Version

There are two magic command you can use.

First command is:

cat /proc/version

Sample output (screenshot)

CentOS:

Ubuntu:

Debian:

Second command is:

uname -a

Sample output (screenshot)

CentOS:

Ubuntu:

Debian:

That’s all. You may need to bookmark this page as probably you may need it later.