printf
printf is a Linux command in the Shell & Scripting category, rated advanced difficulty. Formats and prints data (like C printf). More control than echo. The syntax is printf format [arguments]. Key options and parameters: format, arguments — format string, values to print. It returns formatted output. A close relative is echo, which displays a line of text. Used in scripts for output. A close relative is export, which sets or exports environment variables for child processes. A close relative is source, which executes commands from a file in the current shell session. More about this category: Linux shell and scripting commands — bash, echo, export, alias, and more. Work with the shell environment and scripts. Related Shell & Scripting commands: echo, export, source, alias, unalias, history, xargs, eval. This page is part of the free Linux Reference documentation covering 304+ commands, each with syntax, options, practical examples, and a difficulty rating.