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The Linux Standard Base (LSB) is a joint project by several Linux distributions, aiming to standardize the software system structure and behavior of Linux distributions. Introduced in 2001, the LSB defines a set of standards and guidelines for file system hierarchy, shell commands, system libraries, and application binary interfaces (ABIs), ensuring compatibility across different Linux distributions. By adhering to the LSB specifications, developers can write applications that run smoothly on LSB-compliant distributions without the need for extensive modifications or recompilation. Additionally, LSB-compliant distributions provide a consistent environment for software vendors, system administrators, and end-users, fostering interoperability and portability of Linux applications. The LSB initiative has contributed to the growth and stability of the Linux ecosystem, promoting the adoption of Linux in enterprise environments and facilitating the development of cross-platform software solutions. For more information, visit s://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/lsb.shtml(https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/lsb.shtml).
The Linux Standard Base from the Linux Foundation (https://linuxfoundation.org) is a standard for the structure and contents of the common system files and directories in Linux systems.
Category of Standard Category of Filesystem
The Linux Standard Base (LSB) was a joint project by several Linux distributions under the organizational structure of the Linux Foundation to standardize the software system structure, including the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. LSB was based on the POSIX specification, the Single UNIX Specification (SUS), and several other open standards, but extended them in certain areas.
According to LSB:
The goal of the LSB is to develop and promote a set of open standards that will increase compatibility among Linux distributions and enable software applications to run on any compliant system even in binary form. In addition, the LSB will help coordinate efforts to recruit software vendors to port and write products for Linux Operating Systems.
LSB compliance might be certified for a product by a certification procedure.
LSB specified standard libraries (centered around the
ld-lsb.so), a number of commands and utilities that extend the POSIX standard, the layout of the file system hierarchy, run levels, the printing system, including spoolers such as CUPS and tools like Foomatic, and several extensions to the X Window System. It also specified boot facilities, such as $local_fs, $network, which were used to indicate service dependencies in System V-style initialization scripts. A machine readable comment block at the top of a script provided the information necessary to determine at which point of the initialization process the script should be invoked; it was called the LSB header.The command
lsb_release -awas available in many systems to get the LSB version details, or could be made available by installing an appropriate package, for example theredhat-lsbpackage in Red-Hat-flavored distributions such as Fedora, or thelsb-releasepackage in Debian-based distributions.The standard stopped being updated in 2015 and current Linux distributions do not adhere to or offer it; however, the
lsb_releasecommand is sometimes still available. On February 7, 2023, a former maintainer of the LSB wrote, "The LSB project is essentially abandoned."