tailf command in Linux
The tailf command in Linux displays the end of a file in real time. It follows the file as it grows. By default, it displays the last 10 lines and then follows the updates. It is similar to tail -f. The primary difference is that tailf does not open the file if it is already open by another process, whereas tail -f does not have this restriction.
Table of Contents
Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the tailf command −
- Syntax of tailf Command
- Options of tailf Command
- Using tailf Command in Linux
- Alternative to tailf Command
Syntax of tailf Command
The syntax of the tailf command in Linux is as follows −
tailf [options] file
In the above syntax, the [options] argument is used to specify the options to change the command's behavior. The file argument is used to specify the file to monitor.
Options of the tailf Command
The options of the tailf command in Linux are listed below −
| Short Option | Long Option | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -n number | --lines= number | Output the last number of lines instead of the default 10. |
| -V | --version | Show version information and exit. |
| -h | --help | Display help text and exit. |
Using tailf Command in Linux
This section explores how to use the tailf command in Linux with examples −
Monitoring a File using tailf Command
To monitor and print the last ten lines of a file, use the tailf command followed by the file name −
tailf /var/log/syslog
To terminate the monitoring, press the CTRL + C keys.
Displaying the Specific Number of Lines
To display the specific number of lines, use the -n, -number, or --lines option. For example, to print the last 5 lines, use the tailf command in the following way −
tailf -n 5 /var/log/syslog
Displaying Usage Help
To display the usage help of the tailf command, use the -help- option −
tailf --help
Alternative to tailf Command
The tailf command is deprecated in modern Linux distributions. It has been replaced by the tail -f, which provides the same functionality. In most cases, tailf is either removed or aliased to tail -f to reduce redundancy.
tail -n 5 -f /var/log/syslog
Conclusion
The tailf command in Linux is used to monitor the end of a file in real-time, displaying the latest lines as the file grows. It works similarly to tail -f but only checks the file when new data is written to it.
The tailf command is useful for monitoring log files, and it offers options to adjust the number of lines displayed or show help text. However, since tailf is deprecated in modern Linux distributions, it is recommended to use the tail -f as an alternative for real-time file monitoring.