Quick Tip

Redirecting stderr to stdout for Unified Logging

Challenge: When debugging scripts or monitoring system processes, you often want to capture both standard output (stdout) and standard error (stderr) into a single log file. This can be cumbersome if they are scattered across different outputs.

The Solution: Use the `2>&1` redirection operator to combine stderr into stdout before redirecting to a file.

your_command &> /path/to/logfile.log # or more explicitly: your_command > /path/to/logfile.log 2>&1

Why it works: The `2>&1` syntax tells the shell to redirect file descriptor 2 (stderr) to file descriptor 1 (stdout). By placing this after the stdout redirection (`> /path/to/logfile.log`), both outputs are then directed to the specified file.

Pro-Tip: Use `&>` as a shorthand for `&> /dev/null` to discard both stdout and stderr if you only care about the exit status of a command.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 6/4/2026