du

Purpose

Display summary information about disk usage (in kilobytes).

Syntax

du [options] [directories_or_files]

Options

-a displays usage information for all files (not just directories).

-b displays usage in bytes (instead of kilobytes).

-c displays a grand total of all usage information.

-k displays usage information in kilobytes (default).

-s displays total disk usage without per directory details.

Description

The du command displays the disk space (in kilobytes) the specified files or directories use. By default, du displays the disk space that each directory and subdirectory uses. A common use of du is to view the total space the current directory uses. For example, here is how you might check the details of disk space the /var/log directory uses:

du /var/log

4         /var/log/vbox 
4     /var/log/httpd 
4     /var/log/squid 
4     /var/log/samba 
3312  /var/log/cups 
8     /var/log/gdm 
4     /var/log/news/OLD 
8     /var/log/news 
3696  /var/log