Head Command in Linux

The Linux head command, a core utility, outputs the top lines of files or piped data, displaying by default the first 10 lines. Useful for previewing or extracting data, it can be adjusted with arguments for specific needs, complementing the Tail command.

Syntax of the Head Command in Linux

The syntax of the head command in Linux is as follows:

The head command takes one or more file names as arguments. If no file name is provided, it reads from standard input. The command-line options can be used to modify the behavior of the 'head' command.

Options of the Head Command in Linux

The head command in Linux has several command-line options that can be used to modify its behavior.

Among the most frequently used options are:

• -n: This option specifies the number of lines that will be displayed. For example, head -n 20 file.txt will display the first 20 lines of the file 'file.txt.'
• -c: This option is used to specify the number of bytes to be displayed. For example, head -c 100 file.txt will display the first 100 bytes of the file 'file.txt.'
• -q: This option is used to suppress the display of file names when displaying multiple files.
• -v: This option displays the file name tag when displaying multiple files.

How to Use the Head Command in Linux with Examples

Let's take a look at some examples of how the head command can be used in Linux:

To explain how to use the Linux head command, let's generate a text file named flowers1.txt that contains 14 names of flowers.

Let's add the details to the file now.

Save and close the file by pressing click Ctrl+X followed by Y.

Use the cat command to view the file content.

You can run the head command with the sample file already open by typing the command

As discussed earlier in the introduction, the head command in Linux displays the first ten lines of the file, hence the above image shows that the head command has listed the first ten lines of the file.

Displaying a Specific Number of Lines

To display a specific number of lines from a file, use the -n option followed by the number of lines to be displayed. For example, the following command will display the first five lines of the file 'file.txt':

Displaying a Specific Number of Bytes

To display a specific number of bytes from a file, use the -c option followed by the number of bytes to be displayed. For example, the following command will display the first 100 bytes of the file 'file.txt':

Displaying the File Name Tag

To display the file name tag when displaying multiple files, use the -v option. For example, the following command will display the first ten lines of the files 'file1.txt' and 'file2.txt', along with their file name tags:

Displaying Multiple Files

To display the first few lines of multiple files, provide their names as arguments to the 'head' command. By default, the head command will display the first ten lines of each file. For example, the following command will display the first ten lines of the files 'file1.txt' and 'file2.txt':

Redirecting Output to A Text File

To save the output of the head command to a text file, use the output redirection operator >. For example, the following command will save the first five lines of the file 'file.txt' to a new file 'output.txt':

Using Head Command with Pipe

The head command can also be used with a pipeline to filter out specific information from a larger output. For example, the following command will display the first ten lines of the output from the ls command:

MCQs

What is the Default Number of Lines Displayed by The Head Command in Linux?

1. 5
2. 10
3. 15
4. 20

Answer: B

How Do You Display the First 50 Bytes of A File Named "sample.Txt" Using the Head Command in Linux?

1. head -n 50 sample.txt
2. head -c 50 sample.txt
3. head -b 50 sample.txt
4. head -s 50 sample.txt

Answer: B

How Can You Display the First 10 Lines of Multiple Files Along with Their File Name Tags Using the Head Command in Linux?

1. head file1.txt file2.txt
2. head -q file1.txt file2.txt
3. head -v file1.txt file2.txt
4. head -n 10 file1.txt file2.txt

Answer: C