tee for splitting output in Linux CLI - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Using tee to Split Command Output

📖 Scenario: You are working on a Linux system and want to save the output of a command to a file while also seeing it on the screen. This is useful when you want to keep a record of what you see without losing the live view.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to use the tee command to split the output of a command so it is both saved to a file and displayed on the terminal.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a file with some sample text

Use the tee command to save and display output

Understand how to append output to a file using tee

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

System administrators and developers often need to save logs or command outputs while still monitoring them live on the terminal.

💼 Career

Knowing how to use tee helps in debugging, logging, and monitoring scripts or commands in real time, a common task in IT and DevOps roles.

1

Create a sample text file

Create a file called sample.txt with the exact content: Hello World

Linux CLI

# Create the file sample.txt with the text Hello World
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the echo command with redirection > to create the file.

2

Use tee to save and display output

Use the command cat sample.txt | tee output.txt to display the content of sample.txt and save it to output.txt at the same time.

Linux CLI

echo "Hello World" > sample.txt
# Use tee to display and save the content of sample.txt
# Your code here

Need a hint?

The tee command reads from standard input and writes to standard output and files.

3

Append output to the file using tee

Use the command echo "Goodbye" | tee -a output.txt to append the text Goodbye to output.txt and display it on the screen.

Linux CLI

echo "Hello World" > sample.txt
cat sample.txt | tee output.txt
# Append Goodbye to output.txt and display it
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the -a option with tee to append instead of overwrite.

4

Display the final content of output.txt

Use the command cat output.txt to display the full content of output.txt.

Linux CLI

echo "Hello World" > sample.txt
cat sample.txt | tee output.txt
echo "Goodbye" | tee -a output.txt
# Display the content of output.txt
# Your code here

Need a hint?

The file output.txt should contain both lines.