Version
You can check the version of OpenBSD you are using by running the command
uname -a
in a terminal window.
This will output the kernel version, operating system name, and release number.
About OpenBSD
OpenBSD is a Unix-like operating system, which can theoretically be used as a regular desktop operating system,
such as Windows or Apple. Very few regular software manufacturers offer their products for this operating system,
and so the few who swear by it often sacrifice being able to download many apps they otherwise might be able to.
What gives then? We will detail it further in the article, but essentially OpenBSD is arguably the most secure
operating system there is, and so people setting up servers or protecting highly confidential data may use OpenBSD
for their purposes. BSD stands for Berkeley Software Distribution, the Unix lineage the system descends from; OpenBSD itself is an independent volunteer project led by Theo de Raadt since 1995.
Security is the absolute priority of OpenBSD, but it is also extremely portable as it runs on more than a dozen hardware platforms.
OpenBSD, similar to FreeBSD, is most commonly used to set up a powerful and nearly impenetrable server,
which can be set up as a DNS server, but also as extremely secure email servers, as well as many possible
combinations
of web servers. This is the most common usage of OpenBSD, although some people swear by the features that it
offers,
explained below in the article, and utilize OpenBSD as their day-to-day operating system for their
desktop.
OpenBSD features cutting-edge cryptography and randomization in the way it handles sensitive information;
this is integrated in the operating system, which immediately sets it apart from mainstream operating systems.
The operating system also hosts top-of-the-line memory protection systems, meaning that any information
that is locally stored is almost impossible to retrieve via an attack. The OpenBSD slogan is a really
famous reflection of just how impenetrable the operating system is. It went from “Five years without
a remote hole in the default install!” all the way until 2002, when a bug was discovered.
The slogan was then changed to “One remote hole in the default install, in nearly 6 years!”,
and it stayed that way until 2007 when another hole was found, ending with the slogan
“Only two remote holes in the default install, in a heck of a long time!”.
Releases
OpenBSD was released originally in July 1996, and we are now on the stable 7.9 release, issued on 19th May 2026 as the 60th release. This project is almost entirely worked on by volunteers, who ship a new release roughly every six months, so OpenBSD 8.0 is expected before the end of 2026.