Linux Find Out My Machine Name/Hostname

The procedure to find the computer name on Linux:

1. Open a command-line terminal app (select Applications > Accessories > Terminal), and then type:
2. hostname
   OR
   hostnamectl
   OR
   cat /proc/sys/kernel/hostname
3. Press [Enter] key

Linux find hostname using hostnamectl

Type the following command if you are using systemd based Linux distro:
$ hostnamectl

It is possible to filter output using the grep command:
$ hostnamectl | grep 'hostname'
OR simply use the cat command as follows too:
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/hostname

Linux find computer name using hostname command

At the terminal type hostname command:
$ hostname
Sample outputs
vivek-laptop.nixcraft.in
Where,

• vivek-laptop : You computer name.
• nixcraft.in : Your dNS domain name.
• vivek-laptop.nixcraft.in : Your computer name with Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN).

To see the domain part of the FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name), enter:
$ dnsdomainname
Sample outputs:

nixcraft.in

How Do I Change My Hostname?

The hostname commands set the host name using the following syntax. Please note that only the super-user / root can change the names. To switch to the root user by typing su – and entering the root password, when prompted.
# hostname newhostname.nixcraft.in
# hostname laptop.nixcraft.net.in
# hostnamectl set-hostname laptop.nixcraft.in
You need to edit /etc/hostname or /etc/sysconfig/network file to set hostname permanently. See our previous FAQ about changing hostname using configuration files.

Conclusion

The hostnamectl command may be used to query and change the system hostname and related settings on modern Linux distros such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS/RHEL, Fedora, Arch Linux and more.

Getting help

I strongly suggest that your read the man pages by typing the man command:
$ man hostname
$ man hostnamectl
$ hostnamectl --help

hostnamectl [OPTIONS...] COMMAND ...
 
Query or change system hostname.
 
Commands:
  status                 Show current hostname settings
  set-hostname NAME      Set system hostname
  set-icon-name NAME     Set icon name for host
  set-chassis NAME       Set chassis type for host
  set-deployment NAME    Set deployment environment for host
  set-location NAME      Set location for host
 
Options:
  -h --help              Show this help
     --version           Show package version
     --no-ask-password   Do not prompt for password
  -H --host=[USER@]HOST  Operate on remote host
  -M --machine=CONTAINER Operate on local container
     --transient         Only set transient hostname
     --static            Only set static hostname
     --pretty            Only set pretty hostname