What is ‘find’ command in linux for?

The find command in Linux is used to search for files and directories in a specified directory hierarchy based on various search criteria. The find command can search for files based on their name, size, date modified, owner, and other attributes. It is a powerful tool for managing files and directories on a Linux system.

Here’s an example of how to use the find command:

$ find /home/user -name '*.txt' -size +1M

In this example, we’re searching for all files with the extension .txt in the /home/user directory and its subdirectories that are larger than 1 megabyte in size. The find command will search recursively through all subdirectories and print out the names of any matching files.

Here are some other examples of how you can use the find command:

  • Find all files in the current directory and its subdirectories that were modified in the last 24 hours:lua
    • $ find . -mtime 0
  • Find all files in the /var/log directory and its subdirectories that are owned by the user root:
    • $ find /var/log -user root
  • Find all empty directories in the current directory:
    • $ find . -type d -empty

The find command is a very versatile tool that can be used for a wide range of file management tasks. It is often used in conjunction with other commands and utilities, such as grep, xargs, and rm, to perform more complex file operations.

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