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Linux kernel VS FreeBSD

Compare Linux kernel VS FreeBSD and see what are their differences

Linux kernel logo Linux kernel

The Linux kernel is the operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating...

FreeBSD logo FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentium® and Athlon™)...
  • Linux kernel Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-24
  • FreeBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-29

Linux kernel features and specs

  • Open Source
    The Linux kernel is released under the GNU General Public License, allowing users to view, modify, and distribute the source code freely. This promotes transparency, collaboration, and innovation within the community.
  • Customizability
    Due to its open-source nature and modular design, users can customize the Linux kernel to suit specific needs by enabling or disabling features, which is particularly beneficial for embedded systems or unique hardware environments.
  • Security
    The many contributors working on the Linux kernel can quickly identify and fix security vulnerabilities, and the kernel's design allows for implementation of strong security measures, making it a preferred choice for many security-conscious applications.
  • Stability and Reliability
    Linux is known for its stability and reliability, capable of running for years without crashing or needing a reboot, which is crucial for server environments and critical applications.
  • Hardware Support
    The Linux kernel supports a wide range of hardware architectures and devices due to the contributions of developers across the globe, which allows it to be used on everything from supercomputers to smartphones.

Possible disadvantages of Linux kernel

  • Complexity
    The Linux kernel's extensive feature set and flexibility can lead to complexity, making it difficult for beginners to understand and configure without a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Commercial Support
    Unlike some proprietary operating systems, Linux may have limited dedicated support options, which can be a challenge for companies that require guaranteed, on-demand technical support.
  • Software Compatibility
    Some commercial software applications and games are not natively supported on Linux, which can limit its usability for certain users unless they use compatibility layers like Wine or alternative software.
  • Device Driver Availability
    While the Linux kernel supports a variety of hardware, some cutting-edge or proprietary devices may lack official drivers, requiring users to rely on community-driven development or workarounds.
  • Fragmentation
    The flexibility of Linux allows for numerous variations (distributions), which can result in fragmentation. This diversity can confuse new users and complicate software compatibility across different systems.

FreeBSD features and specs

  • Stability
    FreeBSD is known for its robustness and reliability, making it a preferred choice for servers and critical applications that require high uptime.
  • Advanced Networking
    It offers advanced networking features and performance, suitable for heavy network-related usage such as routers, firewalls, and servers.
  • ZFS File System
    FreeBSD includes support for the ZFS file system, which provides high data integrity, advanced snapshot capabilities, and efficient data management.
  • Ports Collection
    The FreeBSD Ports Collection offers a vast selection of pre-packaged software that eases the installation of applications and their dependencies.
  • Security Features
    FreeBSD is known for its strong security features, such as jails for process separation and Capsicum, a capability-based security framework.

Possible disadvantages of FreeBSD

  • Hardware Compatibility
    FreeBSD may have limited support for certain hardware devices compared to other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Learning Curve
    The system can be complex for new users, requiring a significant amount of time and effort to become proficient, especially if they are accustomed to more user-friendly environments.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to Linux, FreeBSD has a smaller user and developer community, which might result in less community-driven support and fewer available resources.
  • Limited Desktop Support
    While FreeBSD can be used on desktop systems, it is primarily optimized for servers and might not offer the same level of convenience or support for desktop applications and environments as Linux distros.
  • Software Availability
    Although it has a vast Ports Collection, some software might not be available or can be more challenging to compile and maintain than on Linux.

Linux kernel videos

Linux Kernel 5.0 Initial Review

More videos:

  • Review - Let's Talk To Linux Kernel Developer Greg Kroah-Hartman | Open Source Summit, 2019
  • Review - Linux Kernel 4.19 Overview

FreeBSD videos

FreeBSD 12 Review - Used as my daily OS

More videos:

  • Review - A Look and brief introduction to FreeBSD 12.1
  • Review - I tried FreeBSD! - here's what I think of it

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Linux kernel and FreeBSD)
Linux
46 46%
54% 54
Linux Distribution
37 37%
63% 63
Operating Systems
32 32%
68% 68
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Linux kernel and FreeBSD

Linux kernel Reviews

We have no reviews of Linux kernel yet.
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FreeBSD Reviews

Best free Linux router and firewall distributions of 2023
OpenBSD and FreeBSD are actively developed and are very capable, but these systems require a high level of understanding of operating system internals and low-level networking to be used as routers.
Source: teklager.se
Avoid The Hack: 11 Best Privacy Friendly Operating Systems (Desktops)
With "Linuxulator," FreeBSD has compatibility with Linux binaries. Linuxulator can run unmodified Linux binaries without using virtual machines or emulation. Additionally, FreeBSD has tens of thousands ported libraries and applications.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Linux kernel seems to be a lot more popular than FreeBSD. While we know about 228 links to Linux kernel, we've tracked only 21 mentions of FreeBSD. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Linux kernel mentions (228)

  • If Linux is so great why isn't everyone using it?
    Linux is a family of free and open source operating systems based on the Linux kernel. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • I Solve Problems (talk at EuroBSDCon 2024)
    You mean apart from 6.6 being the current latest longterm kernel? https://kernel.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • What Is PID 0?
    I don't like that, it's not good practice. One should give links to original sources, i.e. https://kernel.org as far as Linux is concerned. Even if git guarantees that the content is the same (if someone bothers to verify that the SHA-1 is the same and we exclude the possibility of a SHA-1 collision in git, which is yet to be demonstrated). kernel.org existed before github. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Thinking about building a operating system
    - Modern Operating Systems, 5th Edition by Andrew Tanenbaum (of MINIX fame) and Herbert Bos (https://www.pearson.com/en-us/subject-catalog/p/modern-operating-systems/P200000003295/9780137618880) is the latest edition of a solid graduate-level textbook on operating system concepts. It may also be beneficial studying the source code of existing operating systems. I recommend starting with smaller, simpler... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • problem with connman
    Those other flashy distros like mint and ubuntus are designed with rich people with very fresh machines in mind, they don't care if you have an AMDx4 or core2duo or even 32bit older machine. Even Mint and ubuntu people will tell you, if you have an old machine with little ram, use antiX. It still works very well with machines not even released yet, buy one in May 2024 and I "guaranty you" antiX will run fine. ... Source: over 1 year ago
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FreeBSD mentions (21)

  • I've never used FreeBSD and have some questions
    Aside from being UNIX based, what similarities does it share with Linux? Both have monolithic kernels. Source based build systems are offered (ports, which are like the portage system on Gentoo) as well as binary build systems (pkg, which is like apt, yum, pacman, etc.) Both offer a lot of free software, though more licenses are compatible with FreeBSD like CDDL, which is not compatible Linux. Both let you... Source: over 1 year ago
  • FreeBSD turns 30 today!
    There's no mention of a birthday on their site, and its footer says 1995-2023. That must be just the site, because Wikipedia tells me FreeBSD's initial release was indeed, but not quite, 30 years ago, November 1st 1993. Still no birthday. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Computer
    I'm not the right person to ask this -- I just run it on whatever I happen to have. But I think sleep and wifi (for example) have issues with different hardware, so you'd have to do your homework. The FreeBSD handbook on freebsd.org is always very helpful to me. You can try it out with a live cd / thumbdrive to see how much supported hardware you've got. My Lenovo X1 from a couple years ago works for what I... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Can SGI’s Enthusiast Community Bring IRIX Back to Life?
    People are still actively working on Illumos. The last change was yesterday morning. * https://illumos.org People are still actively working on MirBSD. There's a CVS commit account that can be followed on the FediVerse. * http://www.mirbsd.org It's DragonFly BSD, not Dragon BSD, and the irony of that is that you missed FreeBSD, which is of course still going. * https://dragonflybsd.org * https://freebsd.org As... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • X220 and beer. A lovely combo, especially with FreeBSD.
    A open source free and stable Unix-like operating system. Read more at http://freebsd.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Linux kernel and FreeBSD, you can also consider the following products

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

Arch Linux - You've reached the website for Arch Linux, a lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple. Currently we have official packages optimized for the x86-64 architecture.

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

Debian - Debian is a free distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system.

Linux-libre - Linux-libre is a GNU package that is maintained from modified versions of the Linux kernel.

GhostBSD - GhostBSD is a user friendly desktop operating system based on ...