type

Additional Notes

type is a shell command used to show how the shell resolves a command name. It tells you whether a command is a builtin, alias, function, or external executable.

type is a Bash builtin. Use type -a to show all possible resolutions and type -t to get just the category.

Syntax

type [arguments]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how type behaves.
• arguments: Values consumed by the shell builtin or script command.
• command: Command line to run, test, wrap, or control.

Common Options

• -a: Show all possible resolutions.
• -t: Show only the resolution type.
• -p: Show the path if the command is an executable.

Examples

type cd
type ls
type -a python

Practical Notes

type can tell you whether a command is an alias, shell keyword, builtin, function, or file.