Where Is Linux Distro Identity Stored?
Distro identity lives in os-release, the one file every tool reads for name and version.
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The os-release file names the distribution, version, and variant in a standard key-value format. Every tool that adapts to distros reads this one file instead of guessing.
That standard replaced a zoo of release files, though some distros keep legacy ones alongside. Scripts should read os-release first and fall back only when it is missing. Editing it changes what tools believe, which fixes detection bugs and breaks nothing else when done carefully.
Where Linux stores this, by platform
/etc/os-release
Standard distro identity in key-value form. Tools parse this instead of guessing; legacy release files beside it exist for old scripts.
Frequently asked questions
What actually reads this file?
Pretty much everything already does. Package scripts, monitoring, and support tools all parse this file, which is exactly why it exists as a standard.
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