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du – Display Disk Usage for Each File and Directory

The du command is used in Linux to display the disk usage of files and directories. It is a simple and powerful command that can help you identify which files and directories are taking up the most space on your system.

Overview

The basic syntax of the du command is as follows:

du [OPTION]... [FILE]...

When you run the du command, it will display the disk usage of each file and directory in the current directory. If you want to check the disk usage of a specific file or directory, you can specify the path to that file or directory as an argument.

For example, to display the disk usage of the /var/log directory, you would run the following command:

du /var/log

The output of this command will be a list of all the files and directories in the /var/log directory, along with their disk usage in kilobytes.

You can also use the -h option to display the disk usage in a more human-readable format. This will display the disk usage in kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes, depending on the size of the file or directory.

For example, to display the disk usage of the /var/log directory in a human-readable format, you would run the following command:

du -h /var/log

The output of this command will be a list of all the files and directories in the /var/log directory, along with their disk usage in kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.

Options

The following table lists all the available options for the du command:

Option Description
-a Display the disk usage of all files, not just directories
-c Display a grand total of the disk usage for all files and directories
-h Display the disk usage in a human-readable format
-s Display only a summary of the disk usage for each argument

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are having trouble running the du command, here are some troubleshooting tips:

  • Make sure you are running the command as a user with sufficient permissions to access the files and directories you want to check.
  • If you are getting an error message that says “du: cannot access ‘FILE’: No such file or directory”, make sure you have spelled the file or directory name correctly and that it exists in the current directory or in the path you specified.
  • If you are getting an error message that says “du: cannot read directory ‘DIRECTORY’: Permission denied”, make sure you have sufficient permissions to access the directory. You may need to run the command as root or use the sudo command to gain elevated privileges.

Notes

  • The du command can be a useful tool for identifying files and directories that are taking up a lot of disk space on your system, especially if you are running low on disk space.
  • The -h option can be particularly helpful when you are dealing with large files or directories, as it makes it easier to read and interpret the output of the command.
  • Be careful when using the du command with the -a option, as it can generate a lot of output if you are checking the disk usage of a large number of files. Consider using the -s option to display only a summary of the disk usage for each argument instead.

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