The whereis command is a valuable Linux utility that pinpoints the location of executable binaries, source code, and associated manual pages for a specified command. It offers a quick and effective way to discover the file path to a command’s executable, its source files (if available), and its documentation.

System administrators, software developers, and general Linux users frequently employ whereis to rapidly determine the location of a command or its related components. This is particularly useful when debugging problems or gaining a better understanding of a command’s inner workings.

Written in C, the whereis command forms part of the GNU Core Utilities package. It’s typically included in most Linux distributions and 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

whereis comes standard with most Linux distributions and other Unix-based systems. Thus, no explicit installation is usually required.

Usage

Syntax

The general syntax of the whereis command is:

whereis [options] command

Options

The command accepts several options:

Option	Description
-b	Find the location of the binary file(s) only.
-s	Find the location of the source file(s) only.
-m	Find the location of the manual page(s) only.
-B	Search for binaries within specified directories.
-S	Search for source files within specified directories.
-M	Search for manual pages within specified directories.
-f	Display the full paths of the located files.
-u	Search for files that are not well-documented (unusual or orphaned files).

Examples

Example 1: Basic Usage

To locate the binary, source (if available), and manual pages for a command, use whereis followed by the command’s name. For instance, to locate the ls command:

whereis ls

This will output the paths to the ls command’s binary, source code, and man page.

Example 2: Searching for Binaries Only

To search exclusively for the binary of a command, use the -b option. To locate the gcc command’s binary:

whereis -b gcc

This will display only the location of the gcc executable.

Example 3: Searching in Specified Directories

The -B, -S, and -M options facilitate searching particular directories. For example, to search for the python command’s binary within the /usr/bin and /usr/local/bin directories, execute:

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

This will list the python binary found only within those specified directories.

Similar Commands

Several other commands offer comparable file and command location functionality on Linux:

• which: Locates the executable file of a command as found in the user’s PATH environment variable.
• type: Determines the type of a command (e.g., alias, built-in, executable file).
• find: A versatile tool for locating files and directories based on various criteria and filters.
• locate: Quickly finds files and directories using a pre-built database for faster searches.

Automation Scripts

Script 1: Find All Binaries

This script employs whereis to identify all binaries on the system and saves the results to a file.

#!/bin/bash

whereis -b -f * > binaries.txt

Script 2: Find Source Files

This script uses whereis to find the source files for a command the user inputs.

#!/bin/bash

read -p "Enter the command name: " command

whereis -s $command

Script 3: Find Manual Pages

This script leverages whereis to locate the manual pages for a user-specified command.

#!/bin/bash

read -p "Enter the command name: " command

whereis -m $command

List of Functions and Constants

Function/Constant	Description
whereis	The primary command; it identifies the locations of binaries, sources, and manual pages.
-b	Option to find only binary files.
-s	Option to find only source files.
-m	Option to find only manual pages.
-B	Option to search for binaries in specified directories.
-S	Option to search for sources in specified directories.
-M	Option to search for manual pages in specified directories.
-f	Option to print full paths of found files.
-u	Option to search for unusual or undocumented files.

Conclusion

The whereis command is a valuable asset for locating executable binaries, source code, and documentation (manual pages) for commands within a Linux environment. Its widespread use by system administrators, developers, and users stems from its ability to quickly pinpoint command locations. It can be instrumental in troubleshooting problems, understanding the functionality of commands, and finding essential files within the Linux file system, offering an efficient method for system navigation and command-related file retrieval.

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