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6

How do I distinguish between a command, utility, or builtin for getting documentation?

rated 0 times [ 6] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 391 / 2 Years ago, wed, september 28, 2022, 6:47:18

I'm running Bash scripting, but sometimes I get confused which of these commands I use belong to who. Sometimes man xxx works, sometimes doesn't, so I use --help or info, mostly one of these works to show description of the command. Can anyone tell me how I would know what command belongs to what? Bash builtin, GNU utility, etc.

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odenanno

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answered 2 Years ago ardingiba · Accepted Answer

You can use type to find out:

$ type echo

echo is a shell builtin

$ type sudo

sudo is /usr/bin/sudo

For bash builtins, use help, as in help echo.