find command basics in Linux CLI - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the find command do in Linux?

The find command searches for files and directories in a directory hierarchy based on conditions like name, type, size, or modification time.

beginner

How do you use find to search for files named notes.txt in the current directory and its subdirectories?

Use find . -name "notes.txt". The dot . means start from the current directory.

beginner

What option do you use with find to search only for directories?

Use -type d to find directories only. For example, find . -type d lists all directories.

intermediate

How can you find files larger than 1 megabyte using find?

Use -size +1M. For example, find . -size +1M finds files bigger than 1 megabyte.

intermediate

What does the -exec option do in the find command?

It runs a command on each file found. For example, find . -name "*.log" -exec rm {} \; deletes all .log files found.

Which command finds all files named report.txt starting from the current directory?

A find -name report.txt

B find / -type d report.txt

C find report.txt -type f

D find . -name "report.txt"

Option D correctly uses find starting at current directory . with -name to find the file.

What does find /home -type f -size +10M do?

A Finds directories larger than 10MB in /home

B Finds files larger than 10MB in /home

C Finds files smaller than 10MB in /home

D Finds all files in /home

The -type f means files, and -size +10M means larger than 10 megabytes.

How do you find all directories named backup?

A find . -type d -name "backup"

B find . -type f -name "backup"

C find backup -type d

D find . -name "backup"

Option A searches for directories (-type d) named backup starting from current directory.

What is the purpose of the curly braces {} in find . -name "*.txt" -exec rm {} \;?

A It is a placeholder for each found file

B It represents the current directory

C It ends the command

D It is a wildcard for file names

Curly braces {} are replaced by each file found by find when running the -exec command.

Which option limits find to search only in the current directory, not subdirectories?

A -depth 0

B -mindepth 1

C -maxdepth 1

D -nodir

The -maxdepth 1 option tells find to search only the current directory level.

Explain how to use the find command to locate files by name and then delete them safely.

Think about searching files and running a delete command on each.

Describe how to find all directories named 'config' starting from your home directory.

Focus on directory type and name filtering.

Practice

1. What does the find command do in Linux?

easy

A. Copies files from one folder to another

B. Deletes files permanently

C. Searches for files and directories based on criteria

D. Displays the contents of a file

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of the find command

   The find command is used to locate files and directories by searching through folders and subfolders.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Options B, C, and D describe other commands like rm, cp, and cat, not find.

3. Final Answer:

   Searches for files and directories based on criteria -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   find = search files [OK]

Hint: Remember: find means locate files/folders fast [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing find with delete or copy commands
• Thinking find edits files
• Assuming find shows file contents

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to find all files named notes.txt in the current directory and its subdirectories?

easy

A. find . -name notes.txt

B. find -name notes.txt .

C. find notes.txt -name .

D. find . notes.txt -name

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall find command syntax

   The correct syntax is: find [path] [options]. Here, '.' means current directory, '-name' specifies the filename.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   find . -name notes.txt matches the correct syntax. Options A, B, and D have misplaced arguments or options.

3. Final Answer:

   find . -name notes.txt -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   find . -name filename [OK]

Hint: Path first, then options like -name [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Putting filename before path
• Missing dot for current directory
• Wrong order of options and arguments

3. What will be the output of the command find /tmp -type d -name "test" if there is a directory named test inside /tmp?

medium

A. It will list the full path of the directory named test inside /tmp

B. It will list all files named test inside /tmp

C. It will delete the directory named test inside /tmp

D. It will show an error because of incorrect syntax

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the command options

   /tmp is the search path, -type d means only directories, -name "test" looks for name 'test'.

2. Step 2: Predict output

   The command will print the full path of any directory named 'test' inside /tmp and its subfolders.

3. Final Answer:

   It will list the full path of the directory named test inside /tmp -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   find with -type d lists directories [OK]

Hint: -type d means directories only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing -type d with files
• Expecting deletion instead of listing
• Assuming syntax error without checking

4. You run find /home/user -name '*.txt' but get no results even though there are .txt files. What is the most likely problem?

medium

A. The quotes prevent the shell from expanding the wildcard

B. The path /home/user does not exist

C. The command should use -type d instead of -name

D. The wildcard * is not supported by find

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand wildcard usage in find

   Using quotes around '*.txt' prevents the shell from expanding the wildcard, which is correct because find handles the pattern matching itself.

2. Step 2: Identify common mistake

   With correct syntax, no results despite .txt files existing suggests the path /home/user does not exist or is inaccessible.

3. Final Answer:

   The path /home/user does not exist -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   ls /home/user [OK]

Hint: Verify path exists before searching [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Removing quotes and letting shell expand
• Using -type d for files
• Wrong path assumption

5. How can you use the find command to locate all files larger than 1MB in the /var/log directory and delete them safely after confirmation?

hard

A. find /var/log -type d -size +1M -ok rm {} \;

B. find /var/log -type f -size +1M -delete

C. find /var/log -size 1M -exec rm {} \;

D. find /var/log -type f -size +1M -ok rm {} \;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify criteria for files larger than 1MB

   -type f means files, -size +1M means size greater than 1 megabyte.

2. Step 2: Choose safe deletion method

   -ok rm {} \; asks for confirmation before deleting each file, which is safer than -delete or -exec rm without confirmation.

3. Step 3: Check options

   find /var/log -type f -size +1M -ok rm {} \; uses -ok for confirmation, correct. find /var/log -type f -size +1M -delete deletes without confirmation. find /var/log -size 1M -exec rm {} \; uses wrong size syntax and no confirmation. find /var/log -type d -size +1M -ok rm {} \; searches directories, not files.

4. Final Answer:

   find /var/log -type f -size +1M -ok rm {} \; -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   -ok asks confirmation before delete [OK]

Hint: Use -ok for safe delete with confirmation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using -delete without confirmation
• Wrong size syntax
• Searching directories instead of files