Difference: { } \; vs { } +

The find command in Linux is a powerful tool used to search for files and directories within a specified directory hierarchy. It allows users to search based on various criteria such as name, type, size, modification time, and more. Once files or directories matching the search criteria are identified, you can use the -exec option to perform actions on these files. When using -exec option, you have two primary ways to execute commands on the found files:

{} \;
and
{} +

Here's a comparison of these (2) two methods:

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1. {} \;

Syntax: -exec command {} \;
Action: executes the command once for each found file.
{}: is a placeholder that is replaced with the current file name.
\;: indicates the end of the -exec command.

Example:

$ find . -type f -name "*.txt" -exec cat {} \;

In this example, cat is executed separately for each .txt file found.
If there are 10 .txt files, cat will be run 10 times, once for each file.

Performance:
This can be inefficient because the command is executed separately for each file. This could be slow if there are many files.

2. {} +

Syntax: -exec command {} +
Action: executes the command in batches, passing multiple file names at once.
{}: is a placeholder that is replaced with the found file names.
+: indicates the end of the -exec command and signals that find should aggregate the results and pass them to the command in a single batch.

Example:

$ find . -type f -name "*.txt" -exec cat {} +

In this example, cat is executed once, and it receives all .txt files found as arguments in a single batch. If there are 10 .txt files, cat will be executed once with all 10 files.

Performance:
More efficient for commands that can handle multiple files at once.
Reduces the number of command executions.
Faster execution because it minimizes the number of times the command is invoked.

Comparison Summary

Execution Mode:
{} \; executes the command once per file.
{} + aggregates files and executes the command fewer times, often once.

Performance:

{} \; can be slower due to multiple executions.
{} + is generally faster and more efficient for commands that can handle multiple files in a single invocation.

Use Cases:

Use {} \; when you need to execute a command on each file individually.
Use {} + when the command can handle multiple files and you want to optimize performance.

In summary, {} \; is straightforward and universally compatible, while {} + provides performance benefits for batch processing, making it more efficient for handling multiple files.

We hope you found this tutorial useful!