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du - estimate file space usage

Synopsis

du [options] [file...]

POSIX options: [-askx] [--]

GNU options (shortest form): [-abcDhHklLmsSxX] [--block-size=size] [--exclude=pattern] [--max-depth=n] [--help] [--version] [--]

Description

du reports the amount of disk space used by the specified files, and by each directory in the hierarchies rooted at the specified files. Here `disk space used' means space used for the entire file hierarchy below the specified file.

With no arguments, du reports the disk space for the current directory.

Posix Details

The output is in 512-byte units by default, but in 1024-byte units when the -k option is given.

GNU Details

The output is in 1024-byte units (when no units are specified by options), unless the environment variable POSIXLY_CORRECT is set, in which case POSIX is followed.

Posix Options

-a: Show counts for all files encountered, not just directories.
-k: Use 1024-byte units instead of the default 512-byte units.
-s: Only output space usage for the actual arguments given, not for their subdirectories.
-x: Only count space on the same device as the argument given.
--: Terminate option list.

GNU Options

-a, --all: Show counts for all files, not just directories.
-b, --bytes: Print sizes in bytes, instead of kilobytes.
--block-size=size: Print sizes in blocks of size bytes. (New in fileutils-4.0.)
-c, --total: Print a grand total of all arguments after all arguments have been processed. This can be used to find out the total disk usage of a given set of files or directories.
-D, --dereference-args: Dereference symbolic links that are command line arguments. Does not affect other symbolic links. This is helpful for finding out the disk usage of directories, such as /usr/tmp, which are often symbolic links.
--exclude=pattern: When recursing, skip subdirectories or files matching pattern. The pattern may be any standard Bourne shell file glob pattern. (New in fileutils-4.0.)
-h, --human-readable: Append a size letter, such as M for binary megabytes (`mebibytes'), to each size.
-H, --si: Do the same as for -h, but use the official SI units (with powers of 1000 instead of 1024, so that M stands for 1000000 instead of 1048576). (New in fileutils-4.0.)
-k, --kilobytes: Print sizes in KiB (binary kilobytes, 1024 bytes).
-l, --count-links: Count the size of all files, even if they have appeared already (as a hard link).
-L, --dereference: Dereference symbolic links (show the disk space used by the file or directory that the link points to instead of the space used by the link).
-m, --megabytes: Print sizes in MiB (binary megabytes, 1048576 bytes).
--max-depth=n: Print the total for a directory (or file, with the -a flag) only if it is n or fewer levels below the command line argument; --max-depth=0 is the same as the -s flag. (New in fileutils-4.0.)
-s, --summarize: Display only a total for each argument.
-S, --separate-dirs: Report the size of each directory separately, not including the sizes of subdirectories.
-x, --one-file-system: Skip directories that are on different filesystems from the one that the argument being processed is on.
-X file, --exclude-from=file: Like --exclude, except take the patterns to exclude from the specified file. Patterns are listed one per line. If file is given as `-', patterns are read from standard input. (New in fileutils-4.0.)

GNU Standard Options

--help: Print a usage message on standard output and exit successfully.
--version: Print version information on standard output, then exit successfully.
--: Terminate option list.

Bugs

On BSD systems, du reports sizes that are half the correct values for files that are NFS-mounted from HP-UX systems. On HP-UX systems, it reports sizes that are twice the correct values for files that are NFS-mounted from BSD systems. This is due to a flaw in HP-UX; it also affects the HP-UX du program.

Environment

The variable POSIXLY_CORRECT determines the choice of unit. If it is not set, and the variable BLOCKSIZE has a value starting with `HUMAN', then behaviour is as for the -h option, unless overridden by -k or -m options. The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have the usual meaning.

Conforming to

POSIX 1003.2

Notes

This page describes du as found in the fileutils-4.0 package; other versions may differ slightly. Mail corrections and additions to aeb@cwi.nl. Report bugs in the program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.

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