Terminal Guideecho Command Guide
The echo command displays text to the terminal. It's fundamental for shell scripting and command-line output.
5 min read•Last updated: 2024
Dai Aoki
CEO at init, Inc. / CTO at US & JP startups / Creator of WebTerm
Quick Reference
Basic
echo "text"Print textecho $VARPrint variableecho -n "text"No newlineEscape
echo -e "a\nb"Enable escapes\nNewline\tTabRedirect
echo "text" > fileWrite to fileecho "text" >> fileAppend to fileecho "text" | cmdPipe to commandCommon
echo $PATHShow PATHecho $(cmd)Command outputecho {1..5}Brace expansionDownloadable Image Preview
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Basic Usage
echo outputs the text you provide.
bash
echo "Hello, World!"
echo Hello, World!
echo 'Single quotes work too'Common Options
echo Options
| -n | Do not output trailing newline |
| -e | Enable interpretation of escape sequences |
| -E | Disable interpretation of escape sequences (default) |
Escape Sequences
Use -e to enable escape sequences.
Common Escape Sequences
| \n | New line |
| \t | Horizontal tab |
| \\ | Backslash |
| \a | Alert (bell) |
| \b | Backspace |
| \r | Carriage return |
bash
echo -e "Line 1\nLine 2"
# Output:
# Line 1
# Line 2
echo -e "Column1\tColumn2\tColumn3"
# Output: Column1 Column2 Column3
echo -e "Path: C:\\Windows\\System32"
# Output: Path: C:\Windows\System32Variables and Command Substitution
bash
# Display variable
name="Alice"
echo "Hello, $name"
# Output: Hello, Alice
# Command substitution
echo "Today is $(date +%A)"
# Output: Today is Monday
# Environment variables
echo "Home directory: $HOME"
echo "Current user: $USER"
echo "Shell: $SHELL"Tip
Use double quotes
"" to expand variables. Single quotes '' treat everything literally.bash
name="World"
echo "Hello, $name" # Output: Hello, World
echo 'Hello, $name' # Output: Hello, $nameNo Trailing Newline
bash
# Without -n (default)
echo "Hello"; echo "World"
# Output:
# Hello
# World
# With -n
echo -n "Hello "; echo "World"
# Output: Hello WorldRedirecting Output
bash
# Write to file (overwrite)
echo "Hello" > file.txt
# Append to file
echo "World" >> file.txt
# Create file with multiple lines
echo -e "Line 1\nLine 2\nLine 3" > file.txtColors and Formatting
bash
# ANSI color codes
echo -e "\033[31mRed text\033[0m"
echo -e "\033[32mGreen text\033[0m"
echo -e "\033[33mYellow text\033[0m"
echo -e "\033[34mBlue text\033[0m"
# Bold text
echo -e "\033[1mBold text\033[0m"
# Using variables for colors
RED='\033[0;31m'
NC='\033[0m' # No Color
echo -e "${RED}This is red${NC}"Practical Examples
Debug output in scripts
bash
echo "DEBUG: Processing file $filename"
echo "DEBUG: Current count is $count"Create simple configuration files
bash
echo "server=192.168.1.1" > config.txt
echo "port=8080" >> config.txtDisplay separator lines
bash
echo "========================="
echo " Script Output"
echo "========================="Prompt for input
bash
echo -n "Enter your name: "
read name
echo "Hello, $name!"Show special characters
bash
# Using $'...' syntax (bash)
echo $'Tab:\tNewline:\nDone'echo vs printf
printf offers more control over formatting:
bash
# printf for precise formatting
printf "Name: %-10s Age: %d\n" "Alice" 25
# Output: Name: Alice Age: 25
# printf is more portable
printf "%s\n" "Hello" # Works the same everywhereInfo
For complex formatting or maximum portability, consider using
printf instead of echo -e.Summary
echo is essential for shell scripting. Key takeaways:
- Use
echo -efor escape sequences - Use
echo -nto omit newline - Use double quotes for variable expansion
- Use
>to write,>>to append - Consider
printffor complex formatting