How to change system hostname in Linux

Every Linux machine is required to have a hostname, which is usually configured during system installation. The hostname information is stored in the /etc/hostname file and is used to identify a system within a network, among other things.

You can view the current hostname of the system by viewing the content of the /etc/hostname file or by using the hostname command. Command prompts in Linux also normally display the system's hostname.

You can change the system's hostname by editing the /etc/hostname file or using the hostname command. The proper way, though, is to use the hostnamectl tool. hostnamectl avoids misconfiguration of the /etc/hostname file and ensures that the change is persistent after the system reboots.

Steps to change hostname in Linux:

Launch a terminal application.
Check current host name.
```
user@host:~$ hostname
host
```

Change host name with hostnamectl.

user@host:~$ sudo hostnamectl set-hostname newhost

Check current hostname again to confirm.
```
user@host:~$ hostname
newhost
```
Check /etc/hostname to ensure change is saved and is persistent.
```
user@host:~$ cat /etc/hostname
newhost
```
Launch new shell to test if change is successful.
```
user@host:~$ bash
user@newhost:~$
```

Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Cloud architect by profession but always consider himself as a developer, entrepreneur and an opensource enthusiast.

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