TAIL
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NAME
tail - output the last part of files
SYNOPSIS
tail
[-c [+]N[bkm]] [-n [+]N] [-fqv] [--bytes=[+]N[bkm]] [--lines=[+]N]
[--follow] [--quiet] [--silent] [--verbose] [file...]
tail
[{-,+}Nbcfklmqv] [file...]
DESCRIPTION
This manual page
documents the GNU version of
tail.
tail
prints the last part (10 lines by default) of each given file; it
reads from standard input if no files are given or when a filename of
`-' is encountered. If more than one file is given, it prints a
header consisting of the file's name enclosed in `==>' and `<=='
before the output for each file.
The GNU
tail
can output any amount of data, unlike the Unix version, which uses a
fixed size buffer. It has no
-r
option (print in reverse). Reversing a file is really a different job
from printing the end of a file; the BSD
tail
can only reverse files that are at most as large as its buffer, which
is typically 32k. A reliable and more versatile way to reverse files is
the GNU
tac
command.
OPTIONS
tail
accepts two option formats: the new one, in which numbers are
arguments to the option letters, and the old one, in which a `+' or
`-' and optional number precede any option letters.
If a number (`N') starts with a `+',
tail
begins printing with the Nth item from the start of each file, instead
of from the end.
- -c N, --bytes N
-
Tail by N bytes. N is a nonzero integer, optionally followed by one
of the following characters to specify a different unit.
-
- b
-
512-byte blocks.
- k
-
1-kilobyte blocks.
- m
-
1-megabyte blocks.
- -f, --follow
-
Loop forever trying to read more characters at the end of the file, on
the assumption that the file is growing. Ignored if reading from a
pipe. Cannot be used if more than one file is given.
- -l, -n N, --lines N
-
Tail by N lines.
- -q, --quiet, --silent
-
Never print filename headers.
- -v, --verbose
-
Always print filename headers.
The long-named options can be introduced with `+' as well as `--',
for compatibility with previous releases. Eventually support for `+'
will be removed, because it is incompatible with the POSIX.2 standard.
Index
- NAME
-
- SYNOPSIS
-
- DESCRIPTION
-
- OPTIONS
-
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Time: 08:59:21 GMT, January 07, 2023