Linux System Information Cheat Sheet

Get system information about hardware, OS, and resources.

What this cheat sheet is for

This linux system information reference helps you complete common developer tasks quickly and avoid repeated trial-and-error when working under deadlines.

When you need a reliable command or pattern during debugging and incident response.
When you are implementing a feature and want a known-good syntax example immediately.
When onboarding teammates and documenting repeatable workflows for daily use.
When reviewing pull requests and verifying that command usage follows best practices.

System Information

Display system details.

uname -a
uname -r
uname -m
uname -o

Hostname

Show or set hostname.

hostname
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname newhostname
hostnamectl

Uptime

Show system uptime.

uptime
uptime -p
uptime -s

Memory Information

Show memory usage.

free -h
free -m
cat /proc/meminfo
vmstat

CPU Information

Display CPU details.

lscpu
cat /proc/cpuinfo
nproc

Disk Information

List block devices.

lsblk
lsblk -f
blkid

PCI Devices

List PCI hardware.

lspci
lspci -v

USB Devices

List USB devices.

lsusb
lsusb -v

OS Release

Show OS information.

cat /etc/os-release
lsb_release -a

Date and Time

Show current date/time.

date
date +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
timedatectl
cal

Common mistakes / Pitfalls

People often copy a command or pattern without adapting placeholders, which can break production workflows unexpectedly.
It is easy to forget environment-specific differences, so always verify behavior in your shell, runtime, or API gateway before shipping.
Many errors come from skipping small validation steps, so test with realistic sample input before relying on the result.

Last updated: February 2026