How to: ls sort by size

As a Linux user, you may have come across the ls command, which is used to list the contents of a directory. The ls command can be used in various ways, including sorting by size. In this article, we will explore the ls command’s sort by size feature, including a detailed description, code examples, and related concepts.

What is the ls command?

The ls command is a Linux command that lists the contents of a directory. By default, the ls command lists the contents of a directory in alphabetical order. However, you can use various options to modify the output, including sorting by size.

Sorting ls output by size

Sorting ls output by size is particularly useful when you want to identify large files or directories that may be taking up too much disk space. To sort ls output by size, you need to use the -S option, which sorts the files by size in descending order.

Syntax

ls -S [directory]

Example

Suppose you want to list the contents of the /home directory and sort them by size. You can use the following command:

ls -S /home

This command will list the contents of the /home directory, sorted by size in descending order. The output will look something like this:

total 4096
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user  105M Sep  1 10:23 large_file.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 user user  4.0K Sep  1 10:23 small_directory/
-rw-r--r-- 1 user user  2.0K Sep  1 10:23 small_file.txt
drwxr-xr-x 3 user user  4.0K Sep  1 10:23 medium_directory/

As you can see, the files and directories are sorted by size in descending order, with the largest file (large_file.txt) appearing first.

Other Options

Apart from the -S option, the ls command has other options that you can use to sort the output. These include:

-r option

The -r option reverses the order of the sort, listing the files in ascending order.

-t option

The -t option sorts the files by modification time, with the most recently modified files appearing first.

-h option

The -h option sorts files by size and displays the file sizes in human-readable format, such as KB, MB, or GB.

-l option

The -l option lists the files in long format, displaying additional information such as file permissions, owner, group, size, and modification time.

Conclusion

Sorting ls output by size is a useful feature when you want to identify large files or directories that may be taking up too much disk space. By using the -S option, you can sort the files by size in descending order. You can also use other options such as -r, -t, -h, and -l to modify the output. Understanding the ls command and its various options is essential for any Linux user, as it allows you to manage your files and directories more efficiently.