realpath

Resolve and canonicalize file paths, returning the absolute path.

Description

The realpath command resolves symbolic links and relative paths (e.g., ., ..) in a given path and outputs the corresponding absolute path. It is commonly used in scripts to obtain the true location of a file or directory, avoiding path ambiguity caused by symbolic links or relative paths.

Unlike simply using pwd or string concatenation, realpath ensures that the output path is a unique, real, and accessible physical path.

Syntax

realpath [options] file...

Options

-e, --canonicalize-existing   Only output if all components of the path exist.
-m, --canonicalize-missing    Output the canonicalized path even if components do not exist.
-L, --logical                 Resolve symbolic links logically (default).
-P, --physical                Resolve symbolic links physically.
-q, --quiet                   Quiet mode; do not output error messages.
-s, --strip-trailing-slashes  Remove trailing slashes from the path.
--relative-to=DIR             Output the path relative to DIR.
--relative-base=DIR           If possible, output the path relative to DIR.
--help                        Display help information.
--version                     Display version information.

Parameters

file               The path of the file or directory to be resolved, which can be a relative path or a symbolic link.

Examples

Get the absolute path of a file

realpath file.txt

Resolve the real path of a symbolic link

realpath /usr/bin/python

Return a canonicalized result even if the path does not exist

realpath -m ./non/existent/path

Output path relative to a specified directory

realpath --relative-to=/usr /usr/bin/env