Linux head command
The Linux head command is used to display the beginning of a file in the terminal. It is a simple and useful command for quickly previewing the contents of a file without having to open the entire file. By default, the head command displays the first 10 lines of a file, but you can specify a different number of lines to display. This command is commonly used in conjunction with other commands and tools to process and analyze files efficiently.
head Syntax:
Section titled “head Syntax:”head [option] [file]Options:
Section titled “Options:”| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -n NUM | Output the first NUM lines of the file |
Parameters:
Section titled “Parameters:”| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| file | The file whose beginning you want to display |
head Usage:
Section titled “head Usage:”Display the First 10 Lines of a File
Section titled “Display the First 10 Lines of a File”head file.txtThis command will display the first 10 lines of the file.txt file.
Display a Specific Number of Lines from a File
Section titled “Display a Specific Number of Lines from a File”head -n 5 file.txtUsing the -n option, this command will display the first 5 lines of the file.txt file.
Display Bytes instead of Lines
Section titled “Display Bytes instead of Lines”head -c 20 file.txtBy using the -c option, this command will display the first 20 bytes from the file.txt file.
Display Multiple Files
Section titled “Display Multiple Files”head file1.txt file2.txtThis command will display the first 10 lines of both file1.txt and file2.txt.
How do I use head in Linux?
Section titled “How do I use head in Linux?”To use the head command in Linux, execute the following command:
head file.txtWhat is the purpose of the head command in Linux?
Section titled “What is the purpose of the head command in Linux?”The head command in Linux is used to display the first few lines of a file. It is helpful when you want to quickly peek at the beginning of a file without opening the entire file.
How can I display a different number of lines using head?
Section titled “How can I display a different number of lines using head?”To display a specific number of lines using the head command, you can use the -n option followed by the desired number of lines. For example:
head -n 20 file.txtHow can I display multiple files using head?
Section titled “How can I display multiple files using head?”You can display the first few lines of multiple files by specifying the file names as arguments to the head command. For example:
head file1.txt file2.txtCan I display lines from the end of a file using head?
Section titled “Can I display lines from the end of a file using head?”No, the head command in Linux is specifically designed to display lines from the beginning of a file. If you need to view lines from the end of a file, you can use the tail command.
How can I display the first line of a file using head?
Section titled “How can I display the first line of a file using head?”To display only the first line of a file using the head command, you can specify the -n 1 option. For example:
head -n 1 file.txtHow do I display the first few lines of a file along with line numbers?
Section titled “How do I display the first few lines of a file along with line numbers?”To display the first few lines of a file along with line numbers, you can use the -n option along with the -v option. For example:
head -n 5 -v file.txtApplications of the head command
Section titled “Applications of the head command”- Viewing the first few lines of a file
- Displaying the content of a file starting from the beginning
- Extracting the header of a file
- Previewing contents of log files
- Checking the structure of a CSV file
- Displaying the starting lines of a large file
- Reading and analyzing file contents efficiently