For those working with Linux command Line, pwd (which stands for Print Working Directory) is an important command. pwd tells where you are – in which directory, starting from the root (/). Specially for Linux beginners, who may get lost amidst of directories in command Line Interface while navigation, command pwd comes to rescue. This command is built in shell command and is available on most of the shell (bash, Bourne shell, ksh,zsh), etc.
This article presents some useful examples of using pwd command, all tested on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
Basic syntax
pwd [OPTION]...
man page explanation:
Print the full filename of the current working directory.
How it works
It is very easy to use pwd command. Just run the pwd command without any options, and you’ll get the full path to the current working directory in output:
pwd
Example:
[email protected]:~$ pwd /home/mxforge
Most shells, including bash, have pwd built-in. Just run the following command:
type -a pwd
The following output will be returned:
pwd is a shell builtin pwd is /bin/pwd
The difference between pwd and /bin/pwd
pwd is a built into the shell, while /bin/pwd is the tool that comes with your Linux distribution.
As man page explains:
NOTE: Your shell may have its own version of pwd, which usually supersedes the version described here. Please refer to your shell's documentation for details about the options it supports.
Making pwd use PWD from the environment
You can use the -L command line option to make pwd use PWD from the environment.
Create a symlink to the current directory (/home/mxforge in our case):
ln -s . dir_symlink
and enter it:
cd dir_symlink
Execute the following command:
/bin/pwd
We have got the following output:
/home/mxforge
Next, run the following command:
/bin/pwd -L
And we have got the following output:
/home/mxforge/dir_symlink
Avoid all symbolic links
You can use the -P command line option to make pwd avoid all symbolic links. For instance:
/bin/pwd -L
will return the output:
/home/mxforge/dir_symlink
But with -P
/bin/pwd -L -P
the output will be:
/home/mxforge
If no option is specified, -P is assumed by default.
pwd is one of the simplest yet most popular and most widely used command, a basic to use Linux terminal.
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