Bash du Command - File Space Usage

The du command is used to estimate file space usage.

It's helpful for finding out how much space files and directories take up.

All examples below use a hypothetical output for demonstration:

The du command output consists of two columns:

• Size : The amount of disk space used by the file or directory.
• Path : The file or directory path.

To display file space usage, use du :

The du command has options to change how it works:

• -h - Show sizes in human-readable format (e.g., KB, MB)
• -s - Show only the total size for each item
• -a - Show sizes for all files, not just directories
• -c - Produce a grand total
• --max-depth=N - Limit the depth of directory traversal

The -h option allows you to show sizes in human-readable format.

The -s option allows you to show only the total size for each item.

The -a option allows you to show sizes for all files, not just directories.

The -c option allows you to produce a grand total.

The --max-depth=N option allows you to limit the depth of directory traversal.

This can be useful for summarizing disk usage at a specific directory level.

In this example, du --max-depth=1 shows the space used by each directory at the top level, without diving deeper into subdirectories.

Here, du --max-depth=2 provides a summary of disk usage up to two levels deep, including subdirectories.

Options can be combined to provide more detailed output. For example, du -h --max-depth=1 shows sizes in human-readable format with limited directory depth.