linux-drivers/
drivers/media/usb/uvc

USB Video Class (UVC) webcams and cameras

The Linux host driver for any webcam or camera that speaks the standard USB Video Class protocol, which covers the vast majority of USB cameras shipped since the mid-2000s, including built-in laptop webcams, external cameras like Logitech's Brio line, and many embedded and industrial imaging devices.

keep conf=0.95 last_sold=2026 deploy=high replacement=none subsystem=media category=media-camera-tv
95%

recommendation

It should stay because this is the generic Linux host driver for every standards-compliant USB webcam, from cheap laptop cameras to high-end devices like the Logitech MX Brio still being sold in 2025. Upstream maintenance is strong, with fresh fixes landing in 2026 and being backported to stable kernels, and there is no replacement covering the same standards-based hardware class.

repository signals

13 files
12,663 source lines
236 commits, 5y
+4,358 / −3,370 lines added / removed, 5y
46 authors, 5y
monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 236 total · active in 46/61 months
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sources

  1. lore.kernel.org

    UVC driver received substantive upstream fixes in 2026, indicating active maintenance rather than retirement.

  2. lore.kernel.org

    UVC driver changes were actively backported into stable trees in 2026, showing ongoing deployed relevance.

  3. docs.kernel.org

    Current kernel documentation still documents the Linux UVC driver and its user-facing interfaces.

  4. logitech.com

    New UVC-class webcams were still being sold in 2025/2026, so the hardware class is not obsolete.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

`keep`: this is the generic Linux host driver for the still-current USB Video Class ecosystem, not a one-off legacy chipset. Upstream activity is strong (recent 2026 fixes and stable backports from `lore_file_timeline` on `drivers/media/usb/uvc/uvc_driver.c`), and current kernel docs plus current retail webcam listings show ongoing deployments in consumer, enterprise, and embedded camera use. Sources obtained via `lore_file_timeline` and `web.search_query`; no natural in-tree replacement exists for the same standards-based use case.