Linux Storage Metadata

blkid — locate block device attributes

blkid prints block device attributes such as UUID, LABEL, filesystem type, and PARTUUID. It is commonly used when configuring /etc/fstab or diagnosing storage issues.

What blkid is good for

Finding filesystem UUIDs
Identifying filesystem types
Checking partition metadata
Preparing entries for /etc/fstab

Always confirm the correct device before modifying fstab or boot configurations.

10 Practical Examples

1) Show all block devices

sudo blkid

2) Query specific device

sudo blkid /dev/sdX1

3) Show only UUID

sudo blkid -s UUID -o value /dev/sdX1

4) Show only filesystem type

sudo blkid -s TYPE -o value /dev/sdX1

5) Find device by UUID

sudo blkid -U 1234-ABCD

6) Find device by LABEL

sudo blkid -L DATA

7) Output in export format

sudo blkid -o export /dev/sdX1

8) Probe device without cache

sudo blkid -p /dev/sdX1

9) Use in fstab entry

UUID=1234-ABCD  /mnt/data  ext4  defaults  0 2

10) Compare with lsblk

lsblk -f
sudo blkid