Linux Kernel Source Code Surpasses 40 Million Lines

Linux: The cornerstone of modern computing, from smartphones to supercomputers, can do everything. Over the years, the size and complexity of the Linux kernel has increased significantly. As of January 2025, the Linux kernel source code contains approximately 40 million lines of code! This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of open source, community-driven projects.

This article will discuss the exponential growth of the number of lines in the Linux kernel source code, the reasons and how to check the current number of lines by yourself. : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : As of January 27, 2025, the kernel has more than 40 million lines of source code. This exponential growth stems from:

Hardware support

– Linux runs on a wide range of architectures, including x86, ARM, RISC-V, and PowerPC.

• New Features
  – Each version introduces improvements such as enhanced security, better performance and new file systems.
  More Contributors
– Thousands of developers around the world contribute to the kernel regularly.
• Driver Add
– Most of the kernel consists of drivers from various devices.

Count the number of lines in the Linux kernel source code

If you want to verify the number of lines in the Linux kernel source code yourself, please follow the steps below.

1.

Clone Linux kernel source code
• First, use Git to clone the official Linux repository:
• This will download the latest Linux kernel source code to your system.
2.
• Navigate to Linux directory
• 3.Stock the total number of rows
Use the following command to extract and count all lines in the repository:

This command:

Arch the latest kernel source files. Extract them directly to standard output (stdout), rather than writing to disk.

Use wc -l to count the number of rows.

<code>git clone https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git</code>

Sample output (as of January 27, 2025):

<code>cd linux/</code>

This means that the Linux kernel now has about 40 million lines of code. Note that this includes blank lines and comments. This is the total count, not the exact number. If you want to track the growth of the Linux kernel over time, run the above commands regularly and compare the results to see how fast the code base is scaling!

4. Only count C and header files

<code>git archive origin/master | tar -x --to-stdout | wc -l</code>

If you want to count only .c and .h files, go to the cloned directory and run:

This filters only C source and header files before counting the number of lines.

• Exponential trend of kernel growth

  Every year, the Linux kernel grows hundreds of thousands of lines of code. The number of rows grows exponentially, with more features and device support added in each major release. For example:

  • 2001: ~2.4 million rows
  • 2010: ~13.4 million lines
  • 2020: ~27.8 million lines
  • 2025: ~40 million lines

  Based on this trend, it is expected that the Linux kernel will reach 50 million rows in mid-to-late 2025. This rapid growth is driven by growing hardware support, security enhancement, and feature additions across various fields.

  This trend may continue as Linux expands to new technologies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing and automotive systems.

  Verify historical Linux kernel row count

  To verify the historical number of Linux kernel rows for a specific year, you can check out the older version of the kernel source code and count the number of rows using Git.

  Step 1: Clone the Linux kernel repository

  If you have not cloned the Linux kernel repository yet, do this first:

  <code>git clone https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git</code>

  Step 2: Check out a specific kernel version

  To count the number of rows for a specific year, please check out the corresponding publish label. For example:

  <code>cd linux/</code>

  Step 3: Statistics the total number of rows

  Use the following command to count all lines in the checked kernel version:

  <code>git archive origin/master | tar -x --to-stdout | wc -l</code>

  Step 4: Return to the latest version

  After verification, you can use the following command to return to the latest version:

  <code>40076058</code>

  These steps will enable you to independently confirm the number of historical kernel rows.
  Summary
  The exponential growth of the Linux kernel shows that it has evolved into one of the most powerful and adaptable operating systems. With over 40 million lines of code, the Linux kernel remains a massive, community-driven project. You can verify this growth using the simple Linux commands shown in this guide.

  Resources:

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