A linear brake for attachment to a slide element movable along a guide rail, comprising - a brake housing at least partly embracing the guide rail; - force storage means disposed on or in the brake housing; - a brake piston axially engaged by the force storage means of which the piston ends (3.6) axially projecting from the brake piston embrace the guide rail in fork fashion; with - the brake piston being adjustable between the slide element and the guide rail in a direction transverse to the direction of movement for braking/ clamping, with - the piston ends (3.6) of the brake piston having on either side of the guide rail oppositely directed piston bevels (3.2) cooperating with wedge bevels (5.1) provided on both sides of the guide rail (f) on clamping jaws joined by a U-shaped sheet metal transmission member, with - the clamping jaws being urged against the guide rail by the gripping force which the force storage means exerts on the brake piston, and with - the brake piston having thereon a piston space (3.5) adapted to be pressurized by a pressure fluid against the force exerted by the force storage means through a bore and acting to disengage the linear brake; characterized in that - the brake piston has the form of a cylindrical ring piston engaged on one end by the force storage means centrally disposed in said ring piston and having at the other end the piston ends (3.6) comprising the piston bevels (3.2) and - in that the piston space (3.5) is annularly ring-shaped and configured on the radial outside of the cylindrical ring piston in the area of the separating gap between the ring piston and the body (1.1) of the housing, - with a piston ring connected radially outside thereof with said ring piston delimiting the piston space (3.5) at the end face thereof. - a brake housing at least partly embracing the guide rail; - force storage means disposed on or in the brake housing; - a brake piston axially engaged by the force storage means of which the piston ends (3.6) axially projecting from the brake piston embrace the guide rail in fork fashion; with - the brake piston being adjustable between the slide element and the guide rail in a direction transverse to the direction of movement for braking/ clamping, with - the piston ends (3.6) of the brake piston having on either side of the guide rail oppositely directed piston bevels (3.2) cooperating with wedge bevels (5.1) provided on both sides of the guide rail (f) on clamping jaws joined by a U-shaped sheet metal transmission member, with - the clamping jaws being urged against the guide rail by the gripping force which the force storage means exerts on the brake piston, and with - the brake piston having thereon a piston space (3.5) adapted to be pressurized by a pressure fluid against the force exerted by the force storage means through a bore and acting to disengage the linear brake; characterized in that - the brake piston has the form of a cylindrical ring piston engaged on one end by the force storage means centrally disposed in said ring piston and having at the other end the piston ends (3.6) comprising the piston bevels (3.2) and - in that the piston space (3.5) is annularly ring-shaped and configured on the radial outside of the cylindrical ring piston in the area of the separating gap between the ring piston and the body (1.1) of the housing, - with a piston ring connected radially outside thereof with said ring piston delimiting the piston space (3.5) at the end face thereof.