pwd Command in Linux with Examples

pwd stands for Print Working Directory. It prints the path of the working directory, starting from the root. pwd is shell built-in command(pwd) or an actual binary(/bin/pwd). $PWD is an environment variable that stores the path of the current directory. This command has two flags.

Syntax of `pwd` command in Linux

pwd [OPTIONS]

This command doesn’t have any arguments or options, but it can accept flags for specific behavior. 

Flags For Specific behavior in `pwd` command in Linux.

• The “-L” flag resolves symbolic links and prints the path of the target directory.
• The default behavior of the shell built-in “pwd” is equivalent to using “pwd -L”.
• Mention the “-P” flag, which displays the actual path without resolving symbolic links.
• The default behavior of the binary “/bin/pwd” is the same as using “pwd -P”

pwd -L: Prints the symbolic path. 

pwd -P: Prints the actual path.

Example of `pwd` command.

A) Built-in pwd (pwd):

 Built-in pwd (pwd):

In the given example the directory /home/shital/logs/ is a symbolic link for a target directory /var/logs/ 

B) Binary pwd (/bin/pwd):

Binary pwd (/bin/pwd):

The default behavior of Built-in pwd is the same as pwd -L. Using “pwd -L” to obtain the symbolic path of a directory containing a symbolic link.

 The default behavior of /bin/pwd is the same as pwd -P. Utilizing “pwd -P” to display the actual path, ignoring symbolic links.

 The $PWD Environment variable. 

The significance of the $PWD environment variable describes how it stores the path of the current working directory.

$PWD

 The $PWD variable value is the same as pwd -L.

Conclusion

In this article we have discussed the purpose and usage of the `pwd` command in Linux. We also learned about that how `-L` and `-P` flags affect the Output. In the end we have discussed the $PWD environment variable used for storing the current directory path.