The Linux Programming Interface
The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerriskby Michael Kerrisk
Hacker ApprovedRanked 8 of 115 programming books by recommenders
Recommended as a thorough, meticulous guide to how Linux and its system interfaces work, often preferred over course textbooks.
Recommended as a thorough, meticulous guide to how Linux and its system interfaces work, often preferred over course textbooks.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 15
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 15 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Classic, widely regarded reference
“Another book that's worth its weight is "The Linux Programming Interface"”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” “One of the greatest texts ever written.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “The Linux Programming Interface as a university course text” “the classic Linux tome from Kerrisk”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” Comprehensive look at Linux internals
“it teaches a surprising amount of things by telling you what an OS will do for you”
Comment from 17 Mar 2026 in “The Linux Programming Interface as a university course text” “It's honestly the best resource for a comprehensive look at the innards of Linux.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “The Linux Programming Interface as a university course text” Better than typical course textbooks
“This is the curriculum I wish my university’s CS program had back in the day.”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “The Linux Programming Interface as a university course text” “this book is fantastic, and far better than typical course textbooks”
Comment from 16 Mar 2026 in “The Linux Programming Interface as a university course text”
Other programming books people recommend
The four most recommended other programming books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting Interpretersby Robert Nystrom | 60 | 4 | 94% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Clean Codeby Robert C. Martin | 31 | 87 | 26% | 9 | — | — |
| The Pragmatic Programmerby Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas | 28 | 1 | 97% | 7 | — | Approved |
| How to Design Programsby Matthias Felleisen and Robert Bruce Findler and Matthew Flatt and Shriram Krishnamurthi | 18 | 2 | 90% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Linux Programming Interfaceby Michael KerriskThis page | 15 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the classic Linux tome from Kerrisk”
“Another book that's worth its weight is "The Linux Programming Interface"”
“it teaches a surprising amount of things by telling you what an OS will do for you”
“This is the curriculum I wish my university’s CS program had back in the day.”
“Excited to see there is a new edition coming.”
“It helped me lead meetings and solve complex problems where other engineers struggled.”
“this book more detailed, Linux-specific and if updated”
“One of the greatest texts ever written.”
“this book is fantastic, and far better than typical course textbooks”
“It's honestly the best resource for a comprehensive look at the innards of Linux.”
“complement The Linux Programming Interface book”
“I find it very impressive just how meticulous the author has been over the years.”
“Of all the books I wish would get updated, this is the main one”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.