Type (Unix)

type
Examples of `type` command
Original author(s)	AT&T Corporation
Developer(s)	Various open-source and commercial developers
Initial release	1984; 40 years ago (1984)
Operating system	Unix and Unix-like
Platform	Cross-platform
Type	Command

In Unix and Unix-like operating systems, type is a command that describes how its arguments would be interpreted if used as command names.

Function

Where applicable, type will display the command name's path. Possible command types are:

shell built-in
function
alias
hashed command
keyword

The command returns a non-zero exit status if command names cannot be found.

Examples

$ type test
test is a shell builtin
$ type cp
cp is /bin/cp
$ type unknown
unknown not found
$ type type
type is a shell builtin

History

The type command was a shell builtin for Bourne shell that was introduced in AT&T's System V Release 2 (SVR2) in 1984,^[1] and continues to be included in many other POSIX-compatible shells such as Bash. However, type is not part of the POSIX standard. With a POSIX shell, similar behavior is retrieved with

command -V name

In the KornShell, the command whence provides similar functionality.^[2]

The command is available as a separate package for Microsoft Windows as part of the UnxUtils collection of native Win32 ports of common GNU Unix-like utilities.^[3]

References

^ "traditional Bourne shell family / history and development". www.in-ulm.de. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
^ Siever, Ellen (27 July 2005). Linux in a Nutshell. Nutshell handbooks. O'Reilly Media, Inc. (published 2005). p. 695. ISBN 9780596009304. Retrieved 2016-07-05. whence [...] Korn shell only. Show whether each command is a Unix command, a built-in command, a defined shell function, or an alias.
^ Native Win32 ports of some GNU utilities