Linux Tail Command: What it is and how to use it

Many advanced users use commands that print certain parts of the files. There are head and tail commands in Linux that define the beginning and end of a file or command.

Linux tail commands allow the user to read the final commands from a file. It is also useful to monitor new updated information in real time in a specific file. This makes it easy to check the latest entries in the system. Users can also view multiple files using a tail command on Linux.

Let’s start with the tail command and explore all the things that this simple and easy command has to offer.

What is a tail command?

The Tail command is an excellent command used to print the last N numbers or tails of an input. It typically displays or prints the last 10 numbers of the file given to it via standard input and outputs the result to standard output. If we use it on a single filename, the data for each file comes by its filename with a header.

There are about 14 important tail commands in Linux that serve different purposes for users. –n is used to generate the last number lines in a file instead of the default 10 lines.

How to use the tail command?

Remember that before using the tail command you must use the Terminal or PuTTY to access via SSH to your VPS server. Here is one showing the process.

By default, Tail prints the last 10 lines of a file on the Linux operating system and then exits.

To see the last ten numbers of a file, type the following command:

tail filename

Or alternatively:

tail file_path

The output will show the last 10 lines of the file.

How to limit the number of lines displayed?

The tail command gives users the ability to view the number of lines on demand by using the command –n.

The simple and easy way to do this is:

Tail –n* file_path

The * indicates the number of lines you want to print.

For example, if we want to see two lines from a particular file, we will use the following command:

tail -n2 devisers.txt

two is the file number to view, while devisers.txt defines the file name.

How to see the last number of bytes of data?

To see the last number or a certain number of bytes of a very large file, use the option -c to simplify the queue to display.

tail –c* file_path

Here the * represents the number of bytes. Replace it according to what you want to see.

How to watch a file for changes?

To examine a file for variations, use the tail command on Linux followed by the option -F. This command is useful when viewing the last ten lines of a file. This option is commonly used to track log files in real time. for our archive devisers.txtthe command would look like this:

tail -f devisers.txt

Newer versions of the tail commands also allow the user to view multiple files or folders. When the original file changes, the header will show which line someone made the changes on.

How to use tail command with other Linux commands?

The tail commands can be used in conjunction with other Linux command line functions. Here, we are going to use the tail command with:

Using the tail command with -r (reverse order)

Here, we want to see the output of the tail command in reverse order.

tail –n* file_name | sort -r

The first part of the command is how we used it before, then we separate it with | to indicate what follows, sort -rwhich will sort the output in reverse order.

Using the tail command with ls (oldest file or folder)

With the help of the following example, we will see the seven files or folders modified the longest ago.

To see this, the output of the ls command is attached to the tail command. It should look like this:

ls -l | tail -n8

As before, in the tail part -n8 of the command you can insert your preferred number.

Summary

Tail is an incredibly flexible command that can greatly improve your file management. You just have to specify the files and options and use the command with the correct syntax.

Once you master the language and understand the common uses of the command, you can modify it in various ways to develop applications, software, and more.

M. Aitchison, the developer of the FreeDos version, has worked out the use and means for which the Linux tail command is best suited. He develops modern applications that can be handled without errors and with ease.