What is Linux? Is it an operating system(OS)? Actually, Linux is a kernel and not an OS. It is free and open source. The Linux kernel was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991. He was trying to make a Unix like operating system in which the Linux kernel was developed. Since then, the Linux kernel has spawned many operating systems that are gaining popularity more and more as time goes on. The Linux kernel can be found on Debian, Red Hat and Arch Linux operating systems. Many open source projects have been created within these distributions. Ubuntu is a branch of Debian. Fedora is a branch from Red Hat. And Manjaro is a branch from Arch Linux. In this article we will discuss what the is a kernel and how the Linux Kernel differs from a monolithic kernel.

What is a kernel?

A kernel is the core program or first program loaded on startup of an operating system. It is what is loaded first after POST and the boot loader. It handles the following:

1. Startup
2. The I/O of other programs
3. Device Drivers (by device I mean keyboards, speakers, networks cards, etc)

How does the Linux Kernel differ from a monolithic kernel.

Linux is what is called a microkernel. A microkernel runs the bare minimum code as to not bloat the operating system with software driver and code that are not needed. It is unlike a monolithic kernel. A monolithic kernel loads all software drivers and code regardless if the software is needed or not which causes bloat and memory issues that can crash the system. With the Linux Kernel being a microkernel it is does not load unwanted software drivers and code allowing for much better up time. That is why Linux kernel based operating systems are widely used for server applications. It only loads software that are needed. This stability also allows for better maintenance. The way the Linux Kernel handles software, a service that has crashed can just be restarted. There is no need to restart the entire operating system.