For one of my academic projects at Haaga-Helia, I was tasked with investigating where Linux actually runs in the real world. I expected the usual answers — servers and supercomputers. What I found was far more interesting.
Verifying Linux on Ubuntu Server
The starting point was straightforward: spin up an Ubuntu Server VM and confirm the basics using command-line tools.
uname -r gave me the kernel version. lsb_release -a confirmed the distribution details. hostnamectl showed the full system information including the operating system, kernel, and architecture in one clean output.
These three commands are now part of my standard checklist whenever I set up a new Linux system.
Linux on Android
Android phones run a modified Linux kernel. You don’t see it — the interface is completely different — but underneath the familiar Android UI is the same kernel that runs on your server. I verified this by checking system metadata on a test device. The kernel version was clearly there.
This was the moment the project got interesting. Linux isn’t just a server operating system — it’s the foundation of the most widely used mobile operating system in the world.
Linux in consumer routers
Most home and office routers run Linux too. I inspected the firmware of a consumer router and found a lightweight Linux-based operating system underneath. This is why projects like OpenWrt exist — they let you replace the manufacturer’s Linux-based firmware with your own, giving you far more control over your network.
Linux in embedded systems
From smart TVs to industrial sensors, embedded Linux is everywhere. The stability, licensing model (free and open source), and ability to run on very low-powered hardware make it the default choice for embedded device manufacturers.
Why Linux dominates cloud and infrastructure
After this project, the dominance of Linux in cloud environments makes complete sense. It’s stable, it’s free, it’s endlessly customisable, and it runs on everything from a Raspberry Pi to a 256-core cloud instance. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud all run primarily Linux workloads. If you’re working in cloud or infrastructure, Linux isn’t optional — it’s the foundation everything is built on.