CODEWITHSUNDEEP
linuxcommandexitstatus
user2664054
user2664054

Reputation: 561

Meaning of exit status 1 returned by linux command

What is meaning of exit status 1 returned by linux command? Like 127 exit status indicates "command not found".

I have visited http://linux.die.net/abs-guide/exitcodes.html page, does it mean exit status 1 does not have particular special meaning?

Upvotes: 43

Views: 181489

Answers (3)

tripleee
tripleee

Reputation: 189789

The only general convention is that a zero exit status signifies success, whereas any non-zero exit status is a failure. Different non-zero values may indicate the reason for the exit status, usually documented for the particular program.

C's <stdlib.h> include file defines two constants:

  1. EXIT_FAILURE (1)
  2. EXIT_SUCCESS (0)

"man-pages(7)" suggests to document the meaning of the exit status in section EXIT STATUS.

Many -- but certainly not all -- command-line tools return exit code 1 for syntax error, i.e. you had too few arguments or an invalid option.

Many -- but, alas, not all -- command-line tools have a manual page. By convention, it should document the exit codes of the program, but many do not.

Upvotes: 47

Du-Lacoste
Du-Lacoste

Reputation: 12787

Exit Code 1 means that a container terminated, typically due to an application error or an invalid reference. A non-zero (1-255) exit status indicates failure.

For example, if a Java library is running , and the library throws a compiler error, the container might terminate with Exit Code 1.

A command which exits with a zero (0) exit status means it succeeded.

Upvotes: 0

Tajinder
Tajinder

Reputation: 2348

You can see the value of the exit status using man.

Giving an example below:

man ls

Now search for string exit

Adding screen shot below:

enter image description here

Upvotes: 19

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