Frequent Question: What Does an Alias Do in Linux?

An alias is a (usually short) name that the shell translates into another (usually longer) name or command. Aliases allow you to define new commands by substituting a string for the first token of a simple command. They are typically placed in the ~/.

What is an alias command and what is the purpose of it?

An alias lets you create a shortcut name for a command, file name, or any shell text. By using aliases, you save a lot of time when doing tasks you do frequently. You can create a command alias. Use the alias Korn shell built-in command to define a word as an alias for some command.

What does alias mean in terminal?

A Bash alias is essentially nothing more than a keyboard shortcut, an abbreviation, a means of avoiding typing a long command sequence. If, for example, we include alias lm=”ls -l | more” in the ~/. bashrc file, then each lm [1] typed at the command-line will automatically be replaced by a ls -l | more.