which command in Linux is a command which is used to locate the executable file associated with the given command by searching it in the path environment variable. It has 3 return statuses as follows:
- 0 : If all specified commands are found and executable.
- 1 : If one or more specified commands is nonexistent or not executable.
- 2 : If an invalid option is specified.
Syntax of `Which` Command in Linux
The basic syntax of which command is
which [filename1] [filename2] ...
Basic Usage
It is basically used to find the location of the executable file associated with the command.
For Example: To find the location of the “cd” command, we use the following command
which cd
which cd
The output will display the full path to the “cd” executable file, such as “/bin/cd”
Some commonly used Options and Examples of the `which` command in Linux.
`-a` can be used to display all the occurrences of the file.
Simple `which` command will display the path of the first occurrence, but if we want ot display all the occurrences of the file we can use `-a` option.
For Example: If we want to display all the occurrences of the `python` file.
which -a python
which -a python
Checking Command Aliases
We can use which command with `-a` option to check whether the command is an alias or not.
For Example: If we want to check whether the command `ll` is an alias or not.
which -a ll
which -a ll
`-v` can be used to display more verbose output.
We can use `-v` option with `which` command to display more verbose and additional information.
For Example: If want o display more verbose and additional information of `echo` command.
which -v echo
which -v echo
To display help information of the `which` command
info which: It displays help information
info which
info which
Conclusion
In this article we have discussed about `which` command that is mainly used to locate the executable file associated with the given command. We have discussed Options available and there usage. One can easily understand the working of `which` command by going through this article.
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Last Updated :
09 Jun, 2023
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