linux-drivers/
drivers/leds

LED class subsystem and LED controller drivers

A broad collection of drivers for LED indicator and illumination hardware, from simple status LEDs on motherboards and embedded boards to dedicated controller chips like the Awinic AW20054 matrix driver and TI LP8864-Q1 automotive backlight. The subsystem exposes LEDs under /sys/class/leds so keyboard backlights, RGB notification lights, and display backlights can all be controlled uniformly.

keep conf=0.93 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=leds category=other
93%

recommendation

It should stay because this is an actively maintained umbrella subsystem covering hundreds of current and legacy LED devices, with patches still landing on the linux-leds list and vendors like Awinic and TI shipping new LED controller silicon that plugs into it. There is no successor framework and no obsolescence case; removing it would break LED control across a huge range of laptops, embedded boards, and automotive displays.

repository signals

163 files
53,224 source lines
703 commits, 5y
+23,182 / −7,138 lines added / removed, 5y
190 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 703 total · active in 59/61 months
2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2021-04: 2 commits · +8 −2 2021-05: 52 commits · +229 −240 2021-06: 4 commits · +65 −18 2021-07: 8 commits · +189 −76 2021-08: 3 commits · +11 −9 2021-09: 4 commits · +57 −53 2021-10: 2 commits · +5 −7 2021-11: 5 commits · +927 −209 2021-12: 7 commits · +566 −8 2022-01: 3 commits · +23 −27 2022-02: 3 commits · +15 −4 2022-03: 1 commit · +1,432 −0 2022-04: 3 commits · +228 −25 2022-05: 7 commits · +65 −33 2022-06: 2 commits · +121 −87 2022-07: 16 commits · +419 −263 2022-08: 5 commits · +72 −85 2022-09: 5 commits · +6 −100 2022-10: 7 commits · +36 −39 2022-11: 22 commits · +52 −66 2022-12: 7 commits · +39 −31 2023-01: 16 commits · +233 −386 2023-02: 3 commits · +4 −8 2023-03: 9 commits · +2,407 −5 2023-04: 17 commits · +893 −162 2023-05: 33 commits · +1,223 −292 2023-06: 15 commits · +472 −130 2023-07: 17 commits · +542 −27 2023-08: 16 commits · +76 −96 2023-09: 26 commits · +497 −345 2023-10: 16 commits · +1,298 −67 2023-11: 23 commits · +492 −151 2023-12: 24 commits · +449 −129 2024-01: 9 commits · +213 −115 2024-02: 15 commits · +88 −20 2024-03: 6 commits · +339 −88 2024-04: 18 commits · +220 −119 2024-05: 16 commits · +392 −61 2024-06: 46 commits · +2,686 −2,032 2024-07: 12 commits · +452 −149 2024-08: 26 commits · +101 −165 2024-09: 28 commits · +91 −180 2024-10: 10 commits · +79 −51 2024-11: 15 commits · +451 −187 2024-12: 10 commits · +1,323 −20 2025-01: 3 commits · +297 −5 2025-02: 16 commits · +312 −158 2025-03: 13 commits · +104 −95 2025-04: 17 commits · +185 −208 2025-05: 9 commits · +930 −24 2025-06: 5 commits · +17 −6 2025-07: 8 commits · +110 −56 2025-08: 3 commits · +171 −6 2025-09: 4 commits · +25 −19 2025-10: 8 commits · +85 −43 2025-11: 6 commits · +31 −14 2025-12: 6 commits · +219 −91 2026-01: 3 commits · +1,049 −3 2026-02: 2 commits · +26 −26 2026-03: 0 commits · +0 −0 2026-04: 0 commits · +0 −0

sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    The LED class core was still receiving upstream functional changes in April 2026, indicating an active maintained subsystem rather than removal staging.

  2. docs.kernel.org

    The kernel LED class is a general userspace-visible subsystem for LEDs under /sys/class/leds, used across many device types rather than one obsolete niche device.

  3. awinic.com

    A current AW20054 matrix LED driver product page shows LED controller hardware covered by this subsystem is still being marketed with datasheets and development support.

  4. ti.com

    TI lists LP8864-Q1 as ACTIVE, showing new automotive/display LED driver hardware of the same general class is still sold.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Obtained lore evidence via lore_file_timeline on drivers/leds/led-class.c; it showed 233 matches from 2023-05-23 through 2026-04-22, with recent class-core patches on linux-leds/lkml. Checked local git log via shell for last-5y removal/deprecation commits in drivers/leds and found no removal-pattern hits. Obtained deployment/current-hardware evidence via web search on docs.kernel.org and vendor product pages (Awinic AW20054, TI LP8864-Q1). Conclusion: this directory is an active umbrella subsystem for many still-current LED devices and board indicators, so there is no single successor driver and no obsolescence case for deprecation.