tmpwatch Command in Linux
The tmpwatch command in Linux removes the unused files from the system. This utility on Linux systems (primarily Red Hat-based distributions) is used to recursively remove files that have not been accessed in a specified period of time. It is commonly used to clean up temporary directories like /tmp or /var/tmp.
Table of Contents
Here is a comprehensive guide to the options available with the tmpwatch command −
- Installation of tmpwatch Command
- Syntax of tmpwatch Command
- tmpwatch Command Options
- Examples of tmpwatch Command in Linux
Installation of tmpwatch Command
To use tmpwatch, install it on the Linux system.
On CentOS, RHEL, run the following command −
sudo yum install tmpwatch
On Fedora, use −
sudo dnf install tmpwatch
On Debian, Ubuntu, or their derivatives, run the following command −
sudo apt install tmpreaper
On Debian-based systems, tmpreaper is a functional equivalent to tmpwatch with slightly different usage.
To verify, check the binary using the which command −
which tmpreaper
Syntax of tmpwatch Command
The syntax of the tmpwatch command in Linux is as follows −
tmpwatch [options] <time> <directory>
The syntax of tmpreaper is given below −
tmpreaper [options] <delay> <directory>
tmpwatch Command Options
The common options for the Linux tmpwatch and tmpreaper are listed below −
| Short Option | Long Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -u | --atime | Use access time (default) to decide file deletion. |
| -m | --mtime | Use modification time instead of access time. |
| -c | --ctime | Use change time instead of access time (ignored if --mtime is set). |
| -M | --mtime-dir | Use modification time for directories instead of access time. |
| -a | --all | Remove all file types (not just regular files, symlinks, and directories). |
| -d | --nodirs | Do not remove directories, even if empty. |
| -f | --force | Force deletion even without write access (like rm -f). |
| -l | --nosymlinks | Do not remove symbolic links. |
| -s | --symlinks | Explicitly remove symbolic links. |
| -q | --quiet | Show only fatal errors. |
| -t | --test | Simulate deletion without removing files (implies --verbose). |
| -v | --verbose | Show detailed output; use twice (-vv) for maximum verbosity. |
| -U user | --exclude-user=user | Skip files owned by the specified user (name or UID). |
| -x path | --exclude=path | Skip the specific path and its contents. |
| -X pattern | --exclude-pattern=pattern | Skip files matching a glob pattern (must be absolute, no symlinks). |
| --showdeleted | Output simulated rm/rmdir commands for files that would be deleted. | |
| --protect 'pattern' | Prevent deletion of files matching the shell pattern (use single quotes). | |
| --delay[=x] | Wait randomly up to x seconds before starting (default max: 256s). | |
| -T x | --runtime=x | Abort after x seconds (default: 55s) to prevent abuse or overload. |
| -h | --help | Display help and exit. |
Examples of tmpwatch Command in Linux
This section demonstrates how to use the tmpwatch and tmpreaper commands in Linux with examples −
Testing which Files would be Removed
To test which files would be removed from the specific directory without actually removing them, use the -t or --test option −
tmpwatch --test 240 /tmp
In the above command, 240 is the number of hours, which is equal to 10 days. And for tmpreaper −
tmpreaper --test 10d /tmp
Removing Files from a Directory Not Accessed in the Last 5 Days
To remove files from a directory not accessed in the last 5 days, use the following commands −
tmpwatch 120 /tmp
And for tmpreaper −
tmpreaper 5d /tmp
Removing Files Not Modified in the Last 10 Days
To remove files that have not been modified in the last 10 days, use the -m or --mtime option −
tmpwatch --mtime 240 /tmp
The equivalent tmpreaper command is as follows −
tmpreaper --mtime 10d /tmp
Excluding Specific Files
To exclude a specific file while removing, use the -x or --exclude option followed by the path −
tmpwatch -x tmp/mydir 168 /var/tmp
And for tmpreaper, use the --protect option followed by a pattern −
tmpreaper --protect '*.log' 7d /var/tmp
Removing Files Based on Change Time
To remove the files based on change time, use the -c or --ctime option −
tmpwatch --ctime 168 /tmp
For the tmpreaper −
tmpreaper --ctime 7d /tmp
Removing All Files Including the Symbolic Links
To remove all the files, including the symbolic links, use the following commands −
tmpwatch --all 168 /tmp
For tmpreaper, use −
tmpreaper --symlinks 7d /tmp
Conclusion
The tmpwatch command in Linux is a useful tool for automatically deleting unused files that have not been accessed, modified, or changed within a specified time. It is mainly used to clean temporary directories like /tmp and /var/tmp, helping to manage disk space and system hygiene.
On Debian-based systems, the equivalent utility is tmpreaper, which works similarly with slightly different options. Both commands offer flexibility through various flags to control deletion criteria, test outcomes, exclude files, or include symbolic links.