Quick Tip

Taming Terminal Noise: Unified Logging with `2>&1`

Challenge: When running commands or scripts that produce both standard output (stdout) and standard error (stderr), it can be difficult to manage or analyze the combined output, especially when redirecting to a file.

The Solution: Redirect both stdout and stderr to a single stream using the `2>&1` redirection operator.

your_command &> output.log

Why it works: The `&>` operator is a shorthand for `2>&1 >`. It redirects file descriptor 1 (stdout) to the specified file and then redirects file descriptor 2 (stderr) to where file descriptor 1 is currently pointing (which is the file).

Pro-Tip: You can also use `your_command > output.log 2>&1` which achieves the same result. The `&>` operator is generally considered more concise.

Linux Tips & Tricks | © ngelinux.com | 6/7/2026