Redirecting Standard Error

First, what is Standard Error?

Another place we can put the error of a command is in a file. Similar to Redirecting Standard Output, we use the 2> operator to redirect standard output into a file, overwriting its contents, and 2>> to append to the file.

Example

$ wc -s 2> errorfile  # redirect error to a file
        $ cat errorfile  # print the file's contents
        wc: invalid option -- 's'
        Try 'wc --help' for more information.

To redirect both standard output and standard error to a single file, use the &> or >& operators. Use the &>> or >>& operators for appending contents to the file.

Links

Inputs, Outputs, and Errors

References

Linux Pocket Guide

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