- Active kernel releases
- Distribution kernels
- Releases FAQ
- When is the next mainline kernel version going to be released?
- What is the next longterm release going to be?
- Why are some longterm versions supported longer than others?
- Does the major version number (4.x vs 5.x) mean anything?
- Does the odd-even number still mean anything?
- Other resources
- Social
- Active kernel releases
- Distribution kernels
- Releases FAQ
- When is the next mainline kernel version going to be released?
- What is the next longterm release going to be?
- Why are some longterm versions supported longer than others?
- Does the major version number (4.x vs 5.x) mean anything?
- Does the odd-even number still mean anything?
- Other resources
- Social
- Linux kernel version history
- Releases 6.x.y
- Releases 5.x.y
Active kernel releases
There are several main categories into which kernel releases may fall:
Prepatch Prepatch or «RC» kernels are mainline kernel pre-releases that are mostly aimed at other kernel developers and Linux enthusiasts. They must be compiled from source and usually contain new features that must be tested before they can be put into a stable release. Prepatch kernels are maintained and released by Linus Torvalds. Mainline Mainline tree is maintained by Linus Torvalds. It’s the tree where all new features are introduced and where all the exciting new development happens. New mainline kernels are released every 9-10 weeks. Stable After each mainline kernel is released, it is considered «stable.» Any bug fixes for a stable kernel are backported from the mainline tree and applied by a designated stable kernel maintainer. There are usually only a few bugfix kernel releases until next mainline kernel becomes available — unless it is designated a «longterm maintenance kernel.» Stable kernel updates are released on as-needed basis, usually once a week. Longterm There are usually several «longterm maintenance» kernel releases provided for the purposes of backporting bugfixes for older kernel trees. Only important bugfixes are applied to such kernels and they don’t usually see very frequent releases, especially for older trees.
| Version | Maintainer | Released | Projected EOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2022-12-11 | Dec, 2026 |
| 5.15 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2021-10-31 | Oct, 2026 |
| 5.10 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2020-12-13 | Dec, 2026 |
| 5.4 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2019-11-24 | Dec, 2025 |
| 4.19 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2018-10-22 | Dec, 2024 |
| 4.14 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2017-11-12 | Jan, 2024 |
Distribution kernels
Many Linux distributions provide their own «longterm maintenance» kernels that may or may not be based on those maintained by kernel developers. These kernel releases are not hosted at kernel.org and kernel developers can provide no support for them.
It is easy to tell if you are running a distribution kernel. Unless you downloaded, compiled and installed your own version of kernel from kernel.org, you are running a distribution kernel. To find out the version of your kernel, run uname -r :
# uname -r 5.6.19-300.fc32.x86_64
If you see anything at all after the dash, you are running a distribution kernel. Please use the support channels offered by your distribution vendor to obtain kernel support.
Releases FAQ
Here are some questions we routinely receive about kernel release versions. See also the main «FAQ» section for some other topics.
When is the next mainline kernel version going to be released?
Linux kernel follows a simple release cadence:
- after each mainline release, there is a 2-week «merge window» period during which new major features are introduced into the kernel
- after the merge window closes, there is a 7-week bugfix and stabilization period with weekly «release candidate» snapshots
- rc7 is usually the last release candidate, though occasionally there may be additional rc8+ releases if that is deemed necessary
So, to find the approximate date of the next mainline kernel release, take the date of the previous mainline release and add 9-10 weeks.
What is the next longterm release going to be?
Longterm kernels are picked based on various factors — major new features, popular commercial distribution needs, device manufacturer demand, maintainer workload and availability, etc. You can roughly estimate when the new longterm version will become available based on how much time has elapsed since the last longterm version was chosen.
Why are some longterm versions supported longer than others?
The «projected EOL» dates are not set in stone. Each new longterm kernel usually starts with only a 2-year projected EOL that can be extended further if there is enough interest from the industry at large to help support it for a longer period of time.
Does the major version number (4.x vs 5.x) mean anything?
No. The major version number is incremented when the number after the dot starts looking «too big.» There is literally no other reason.
Does the odd-even number still mean anything?
A long time ago Linux used a system where odd numbers after the first dot indicated pre-release, development kernels (e.g. 2.1, 2.3, 2.5). This scheme was abandoned after the release of kernel 2.6 and these days pre-release kernels are indicated with «-rc».
Other resources
Social
This site is operated by the Linux Kernel Organization, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, with support from the following sponsors.
Active kernel releases
There are several main categories into which kernel releases may fall:
Prepatch Prepatch or «RC» kernels are mainline kernel pre-releases that are mostly aimed at other kernel developers and Linux enthusiasts. They must be compiled from source and usually contain new features that must be tested before they can be put into a stable release. Prepatch kernels are maintained and released by Linus Torvalds. Mainline Mainline tree is maintained by Linus Torvalds. It’s the tree where all new features are introduced and where all the exciting new development happens. New mainline kernels are released every 9-10 weeks. Stable After each mainline kernel is released, it is considered «stable.» Any bug fixes for a stable kernel are backported from the mainline tree and applied by a designated stable kernel maintainer. There are usually only a few bugfix kernel releases until next mainline kernel becomes available — unless it is designated a «longterm maintenance kernel.» Stable kernel updates are released on as-needed basis, usually once a week. Longterm There are usually several «longterm maintenance» kernel releases provided for the purposes of backporting bugfixes for older kernel trees. Only important bugfixes are applied to such kernels and they don’t usually see very frequent releases, especially for older trees.
| Version | Maintainer | Released | Projected EOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2022-12-11 | Dec, 2026 |
| 5.15 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2021-10-31 | Oct, 2026 |
| 5.10 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2020-12-13 | Dec, 2026 |
| 5.4 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2019-11-24 | Dec, 2025 |
| 4.19 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2018-10-22 | Dec, 2024 |
| 4.14 | Greg Kroah-Hartman & Sasha Levin | 2017-11-12 | Jan, 2024 |
Distribution kernels
Many Linux distributions provide their own «longterm maintenance» kernels that may or may not be based on those maintained by kernel developers. These kernel releases are not hosted at kernel.org and kernel developers can provide no support for them.
It is easy to tell if you are running a distribution kernel. Unless you downloaded, compiled and installed your own version of kernel from kernel.org, you are running a distribution kernel. To find out the version of your kernel, run uname -r :
# uname -r 5.6.19-300.fc32.x86_64
If you see anything at all after the dash, you are running a distribution kernel. Please use the support channels offered by your distribution vendor to obtain kernel support.
Releases FAQ
Here are some questions we routinely receive about kernel release versions. See also the main «FAQ» section for some other topics.
When is the next mainline kernel version going to be released?
Linux kernel follows a simple release cadence:
- after each mainline release, there is a 2-week «merge window» period during which new major features are introduced into the kernel
- after the merge window closes, there is a 7-week bugfix and stabilization period with weekly «release candidate» snapshots
- rc7 is usually the last release candidate, though occasionally there may be additional rc8+ releases if that is deemed necessary
So, to find the approximate date of the next mainline kernel release, take the date of the previous mainline release and add 9-10 weeks.
What is the next longterm release going to be?
Longterm kernels are picked based on various factors — major new features, popular commercial distribution needs, device manufacturer demand, maintainer workload and availability, etc. You can roughly estimate when the new longterm version will become available based on how much time has elapsed since the last longterm version was chosen.
Why are some longterm versions supported longer than others?
The «projected EOL» dates are not set in stone. Each new longterm kernel usually starts with only a 2-year projected EOL that can be extended further if there is enough interest from the industry at large to help support it for a longer period of time.
Does the major version number (4.x vs 5.x) mean anything?
No. The major version number is incremented when the number after the dot starts looking «too big.» There is literally no other reason.
Does the odd-even number still mean anything?
A long time ago Linux used a system where odd numbers after the first dot indicated pre-release, development kernels (e.g. 2.1, 2.3, 2.5). This scheme was abandoned after the release of kernel 2.6 and these days pre-release kernels are indicated with «-rc».
Other resources
Social
This site is operated by the Linux Kernel Organization, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, with support from the following sponsors.
Linux kernel version history
This article documents the version history of the Linux kernel. The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was conceived and created in 1991 by Linus Torvalds.
Linux kernels have different support levels depending on the version. Usually, each stable version continues to backport bug fixes from the mainline until the next stable version is released. However, if a stable version has been designated as a long-term support (LTS) kernel, it will be maintained for an extra few years. After that, versions designated as Super-Long-Term Support (SLTS) will then be maintained by the Civil Infrastructure Platform (CIP) for many more years.
Releases 6.x.y
Releases 5.x.y
- Initial support for LoongArch
- Support for Big TCP
- More secure encrypted virtualization with AMD SEV-SNP and Intel TDX
- Armv9 Scalable Matrix Extension support
- Introduce Intel In-Field Scan driver to run targeted low level diagnostics outside of the CPU’s architectural error detection capabilities
- a.out support removed
- Support for Indirect Branch Tracking on Intel CPUs
- User events
- fprobe, for probing multiple functions with a single probe handler
- Headers rearchitecturing preparations for faster compilation times
- Stricter memcpy() compile-time bounds checking
- Switch to C11
- BPF CO-RE support
- Random number generator improvements
- New Real-Time Linux Analysis (RTLA) tool
- Support giving names to anonymous memory
- Mitigate straight-line speculation attacks
- New futex_waitv() system call for faster game performance
- Memory folios infrastructure for a faster memory management
- Add support for AMX instructions
- Improve write congestion
- New NTFS file system implementation
- ksmbd, an in-kernel SMB 3 server
- Migrate memory pages to persistent memory in lieu of discard
- DAMON, a data access monitor
- Introduce process_mrelease(2) system call
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS,
- Slackware 15,
- UEK 7
3rd SLTS release (which CIP is planning to support until January 2031); 5.10.19 is named Dare mighty things
5.4-rc5 is named Kleptomaniac Octopus