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What is the difference between a kernel and an operating system?
Operating System
An operating system (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources and acts as an interface between user and hardware of the computer. It provides common services for computer programs. The OS is a crucial component of the system software in a computer system.
Kernel
Kernel is the core part of operating system and responsible for all major activities of this operating system. Kernel consists of various modules and it interacts directly with the low level hardware. It also provides the required abstraction to hide low level hardware details to system or application programs. An operating system is unable to run without the kernel as it is the important program for the working of the computer system.
The differences between kernel and OS are
| Kernel | Operating System |
|---|---|
| Kernel is the core part of operating system | Operating system (OS) is a collection of software that manages computer hardware resources |
| It acts as an interface between software and hardware of the computer system. | It acts as an interface between user and hardware of the computer |
It plays an important role in memory management, task management, process management and disk management. | It responsible for protection and security of the computer system. |
| Monolithic Kernel and Micro kernel are the two types of kernel. | Single and Multiprogramming batch system, Distributed operating system, Real-time operating system are the types of operating system. |
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