| type | |
|---|---|
 Examples of type command | |
| Original author | AT&T Corporation |
| Developers | Various open-source and commercial developers |
| Initial release | 1984 (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.12 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 1984,3 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.4
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.5
References
References
- "Use Type Command in Linux to Get More Info About Commands". Linux Handbook. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- "type command in Linux with Examples". GeeksforGeeks. 2019-05-06. Archived from the original on 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
- "traditional Bourne shell family / history and development". www.in-ulm.de. Archived from the original on 2004-02-03. 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". Archived from the original on 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2026-02-03.