Quick Tip

Redirect `stderr` to `stdout` for Unified Logging

Challenge: When troubleshooting complex shell scripts or running commands that produce both standard output and error messages, it can be cumbersome to track both streams separately. Often, you’d want to consolidate them for easier analysis or redirection to a single file.

The Solution: Use `2>&1` to redirect standard error (file descriptor 2) to standard output (file descriptor 1).

your_command &> output.log

Why it works: The `&>` operator is a shorthand that combines both `>` (redirect stdout) and `2>&1` (redirect stderr to stdout), sending all output to the specified file.

Pro-Tip: You can also explicitly use `your_command > output.log 2>&1` for the same effect.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 4/27/2026