# Command (Unix)

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{{short description|Unix shell builtin}}
{{lowercase title}}
{{Infobox software
| name                   = command
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| programming language   = 
| operating system       = [Unix](/source/Unix) and [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like)
| genre                  = [Command](/source/Command_(computing))
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<code>'''command'''</code> is a [shell](/source/Unix_shell) [command](/source/command_(computing)) for executing a command without invoking a [function](/source/function_(computer_programming)) or [alias](/source/alias_(command)) that has the same name.<ref>{{cite web |title=command - manned.org |url=https://manned.org/man/command |website=POSIX Programmer's Manual |access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref> The [command line](/source/command_line) arguments consist of an inner command line to executed. If the first argument is the name of a function or alias as well as the name of a command, then normally the function or alias takes precedence, but when passed as an argument to {{code |command}} the inner command is invoked instead of the function.<ref>{{cite web |title=command(1p) |url=https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man1/command.1p.html |website=Linux manual page |access-date=13 February 2025}}</ref>

The command is available on [Unix](/source/Unix) and [Unix-like](/source/Unix-like) [operating system](/source/operating_system)s. It is specified in the [POSIX](/source/POSIX) standard and is often implemented in [Unix shell](/source/Unix_shell)s as a [shell builtin](/source/shell_builtin) function or alias. 

==Examples==
In the following, the <code>ls</code> command is run directly instead of invoking a function or alias with the same name.

<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
$ command ls
</syntaxhighlight>

==See also==
* {{Annotated link |List of POSIX commands}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{man|cu|command|SUS}}

{{Unix commands}}

Category:Standard Unix programs

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Command (Unix)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_(Unix)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_(Unix)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.