💻 Software
What does "2>&1" do in command line?
Fresh7 days ago
Mar 15, 2026180643 viewsConfidence Score1%
1%
Problem
I know that the sign is used for output redirection in the command line, but I'm having trouble finding something that explains the use of in the command line. For example:
Error Output
curl http://www.google.com > /dev/null 2>&1 &
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Fix for: What does "2>&1" do in command line?
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The denotes standard output (stdout). The denotes standard error (stderr). So says to send standard error to where ever standard output is being redirected as well. Which since it's being sent to is akin to ignoring any output at all.
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