What is find command in Linux?

find command in Linux

The find command in Linux is a powerful tool for searching, finding, or filtering files and directories based on specified patterns. It allows users to perform various operations on the search results, such as printing, deleting, or reading the contents of the files.

Syntax

$ find [path] [options] [expression]

Parameters:

• path: The location where you want to search for files (optional).
• options: Patterns for the find command to search for files (optional). It can include the name of the file or folder, permission, creation/modification time, owner, and permissions.
• expression: The action to perform on the result, such as -delete, -print, etc.

Examples:

Delete a specific file in the Linux Terminal

find . -name test.txt -delete

Delete files with a certain extension 

find . -name '*.jpg' -delete

Delete an empty directory in Linux

find . -type d -name testDemo -delete

Delete the contents of a directory (including subdirectories) in Linux

find . -type d -name demo -exec rm -rf "{}" \;

Delete the contents of a directory using xargs in Linux

find . -type f -name "*.txt" | xargs rm -rf

Interactive deletion with confirmation using -exec in Linux

find . -type d -name demo -exec rm -rfi "{}" +

The -i option prompts for confirmation before each deletion.
These examples demonstrate how to use the find command to search for files based on specific criteria and perform various operations on the results. The find command is a versatile tool for managing files in Linux.