The `head` command in Linux is a powerful utility used to display the beginning portion of a text file or input stream. It is commonly employed to quickly preview the contents of files, especially large ones, without loading the entire content into memory. By default, `head` shows the first 10 lines of the file, but this count can be customized using command-line options. It's a versatile tool for examining log files, configuration files, and other text-based data. The `head` command's efficiency makes it particularly useful for getting a glimpse of file contents and determining relevant information swiftly, enhancing productivity for both casual users and professionals in the Linux environment.
HEAD(1) User Commands HEAD(1)
NAME
head - output the first part of files
SYNOPSIS
head [OPTION]... [FILE]...
DESCRIPTION
Print the first 10 lines of each FILE to standard output. With more
than one FILE, precede each with a header giving the file name. With
no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options
too.
-c, --bytes=[-]K
print the first K bytes of each file; with the leading '-',
print all but the last K bytes of each file
-n, --lines=[-]K
print the first K lines instead of the first 10; with the lead‐
ing '-', print all but the last K lines of each file
-q, --quiet, --silent
never print headers giving file names
-v, --verbose
always print headers giving file names
--help display this help and exit
--version
output version information and exit
K may have a multiplier suffix: b 512, kB 1000, K 1024, MB 1000*1000, M
1024*1024, GB 1000*1000*1000, G 1024*1024*1024, and so on for T, P, E,
Z, Y.
GNU coreutils online help: <http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
Report head translation bugs to <http://translationproject.org/team/>
AUTHOR
Written by David MacKenzie and Jim Meyering.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU
GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
SEE ALSO
The full documentation for head is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If
the info and head programs are properly installed at your site, the
command
info coreutils 'head invocation'
should give you access to the complete manual.
GNU coreutils 8.22 April 2018 HEAD(1)