The whereis command is a Linux utility that is used to locate the binary, source, and manual pages for a given command. It is a simple and efficient way to find the location of a command’s executable file, its source code, and its manual pages.

The whereis command is commonly used by system administrators, developers, and users who need to quickly find the location of a command or its associated files. It can be particularly useful when troubleshooting issues or when trying to understand how a command works.

The whereis command is built using the C programming language and is part of the GNU Core Utilities package. It is available on most Linux distributions and can also be found on other Unix-like operating systems.

Official page of whereis: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/whereis-invocation.html

Installation

Supported Operating Systems

The whereis command is available on most Linux distributions and other Unix-like operating systems. It is typically pre-installed on these systems and does not require any additional installation steps.

Usage

Syntax

The basic syntax of the whereis command is:

whereis [options] command

Options

The whereis command supports the following options:

Option	Description
-b	Locate only the binary file
-s	Locate only the source file
-m	Locate only the manual page
-B	Search for binaries in specified directories
-S	Search for sources in specified directories
-M	Search for manual pages in specified directories
-f	Print full paths
-u	Search for unknown files

Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage

To find the location of a command’s binary, source, and manual pages, simply run the whereis command followed by the command name. For example, to find the location of the ls command, run:

whereis ls

This will output the location of the ls command’s binary, source, and manual pages.

Example 2: Searching for Binaries Only

If you only want to search for the binary file of a command, you can use the -b option. For example, to find the location of the gcc command’s binary file, run:

whereis -b gcc

This will output the location of the gcc command’s binary file.

Example 3: Searching in Specified Directories

If you want to search for a command in specific directories, you can use the -B, -S, and -M options. For example, to search for the python command’s binary file in the /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin directories, run:

whereis -B /usr/bin:/usr/local/bin python

This will output the location of the python command’s binary file in the specified directories.

Similar Commands

There are several other commands that can be used to locate files and commands on a Linux system. Some of the similar commands include:

• which: This command is used to locate the executable file of a command in the user’s PATH.
• type: This command is used to determine the type of a command (e.g., alias, built-in, file).
• find: This command is used to search for files and directories based on various criteria.
• locate: This command is used to quickly find files and directories based on a pre-built database.

Automation Scripts

Script 1: Find All Binaries

This script uses the whereis command to find all the binaries on the system and saves the output to a file.

#!/bin/bash

whereis -b -f * > binaries.txt

Script 2: Find Source Files

This script uses the whereis command to find the source files for a given command and prints the output.

#!/bin/bash

read -p "Enter the command name: " command

whereis -s $command

Script 3: Find Manual Pages

This script uses the whereis command to find the manual pages for a given command and prints the output.

#!/bin/bash

read -p "Enter the command name: " command

whereis -m $command

List of Functions and Constants

Function/Constant	Description
whereis	The main function that is used to locate the binary, source, and manual pages for a command.
-b	An option to locate only the binary file.
-s	An option to locate only the source file.
-m	An option to locate only the manual page.
-B	An option to search for binaries in specified directories.
-S	An option to search for sources in specified directories.
-M	An option to search for manual pages in specified directories.
-f	An option to print full paths.
-u	An option to search for unknown files.

Conclusion

The whereis command is a useful tool for locating the binary, source, and manual pages for a given command on a Linux system. It is commonly used by system administrators, developers, and users who need to quickly find the location of a command or its associated files. The whereis command can help in troubleshooting issues, understanding how a command works, and locating important files. It is a simple and efficient way to navigate the Linux file system and find the necessary files for a command.

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