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Run a noninteractive command as nohup /path/to/command --option value </dev/null >run.log 2>&1 & to make it ignore the terminal hangup signal, detach its input and output from the terminal, and let the shell continue immediately. The final & is essential for background execution; nohup alone protects the command from SIGHUP but leaves it in the foreground.
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What nohup actually protects
When an SSH connection, terminal emulator, or login session closes, the operating system can send a hangup signal, SIGHUP, to processes associated with that session. GNU nohup starts the requested command with hangup signals ignored. POSIX requires the utility to set SIGHUP to ignored when it is invoked. A process that inherits that setting can therefore continue after you log out.
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Syntax and the role of &
The canonical form is:
nohup COMMAND [ARG]...The shell still decides whether the wrapped command runs in the foreground or background. Without an ampersand, the command remains attached to the shell’s foreground job slot until it exits, even though it ignores SIGHUP. Add & after all redirections when you want your prompt back immediately.
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nohup /path/to/command --option value &This command is protected from a hangup but may still read from the terminal and write output there. For an unattended job, make every stream explicit:
nohup /path/to/command --option value </dev/null >run.log 2>&1 &- Use an absolute executable path or a command that you have verified is on the target user’s
PATH. - Choose a writable log directory before launching. For example, create a per-user directory with
mkdir -p "$HOME/logs". - Place
</dev/nullbefore the output redirections so the process has deliberate, noninteractive input. - Use
>run.logto create or truncate a log, or>>run.logto append to an existing one. - Use
2>&1after standard-output redirection so standard error goes to the same file description. - Put
&last. The shell then starts the job asynchronously and normally prints a job number and process ID.
Redirect all three standard streams
Standard input
An unattended process should not wait for keyboard input that can never arrive after logout. </dev/null immediately supplies end-of-file. If the program is meant to consume a file, replace it with an explicit input file such as <commands.txt. POSIX leaves some terminal-input details implementation-defined; an explicit redirection removes that ambiguity.
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>run.log writes standard output to a named file and truncates that file when the command starts. Use >>run.log when retaining earlier output matters. An absolute path such as /var/tmp/job.log avoids surprises if the launch directory changes, but the launching user must have permission to create or write the file.
Standard error and redirection order
2>&1 duplicates the current standard-output destination for file descriptor 2. Because shell redirections are processed from left to right, >run.log 2>&1 sends both streams to run.log, while 2>&1 >run.log can leave standard error pointing at the original destination. Keep the conventional order unless you intentionally want separate streams.
You can split the streams when that is more useful:
nohup /path/to/command </dev/null >stdout.log 2>stderr.log &Neither nohup nor the shell limits log size. A verbose process can eventually fill the filesystem, so choose a location with sufficient space and arrange rotation or cleanup separately when the job is long-lived.
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Where output goes when you omit a log path
GNU nohup changes terminal-connected output automatically. Its behavior is:
| Stream or condition | Result |
|---|---|
| Standard output is a terminal | Append output to nohup.out in the current directory. |
Current-directory nohup.out cannot be opened |
Try $HOME/nohup.out. |
| Neither output file can be opened | Do not run the command. |
| Standard error is a terminal | Normally redirect it to the same output descriptor used for standard output. |
| Standard input is a terminal | Behavior has implementation-defined details; explicitly use </dev/null for unattended work. |
The fallback explains why a file can appear in an unexpected working directory or in your home directory. Explicit paths are safer for scripts, cron-like tasks, game-server launches, and any job whose logs must be found later. Create the directory first and verify ownership and permissions:
mkdir -p "$HOME/logs"
test -w "$HOME/logs" || echo "log directory is not writable"
nohup /path/to/command </dev/null >"$HOME/logs/run.log" 2>&1 &Practical launch patterns
Protected but foreground
nohup /opt/example/bin/task --onceUse this when you want to watch the command in the current shell and do not need another prompt. Logging follows the default rules unless you add redirections. Closing the terminal should not terminate the wrapped process, but you still have to wait for it in the foreground.
Background job with one log
nohup /opt/example/bin/task --once </dev/null >"$HOME/logs/task.log" 2>&1 &This is the usual one-off pattern: no terminal input, one predictable log, and an asynchronous shell job.
Appending to a continuing log
nohup /opt/example/bin/task --watch </dev/null >>"$HOME/logs/task.log" 2>&1 &Appending preserves earlier runs. If several instances write to the same file, their lines can interleave; choose separate log files when instance-specific records matter.
A generic long-running game process
nohup /opt/game/bin/server --world arena --port 27015 </dev/null >"$HOME/logs/arena-server.log" 2>&1 &The wrapper only handles the Unix process and its streams. Saving game state, accepting players, handling signals, and recovering from application errors remain responsibilities of the server itself.
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Verify that the job is really running
A prompt returning, or a shell message showing a background job, proves only that the launch was accepted. It does not prove that the application completed initialization or will stay healthy.
- Capture the process ID immediately if you need a direct handle:
pid=$!. The value is the most recently started background process in that shell. - Inspect the process with
ps -p "$pid" -o pid,ppid,stat,etime,cmd. A missing row means that process has already exited. - Search by command when the original shell is gone:
pgrep -af 'example/bin/task'. Make the pattern specific enough to avoid matching unrelated jobs. - Follow the log with
tail -f "$HOME/logs/task.log". Look for the application’s own readiness or error messages. - Check the process and log again after the expected startup interval. A process can launch successfully and then terminate because of a bad argument, missing file, permission error, or application-level failure.
These are ordinary Linux monitoring tools; nohup defines no monitoring interface of its own.
Interpret GNU nohup exit statuses
When the wrapper itself can start the command, GNU nohup returns the wrapped command’s exit status. Special values identify failures before normal command execution:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 125 | nohup itself failed. |
| 126 | The command was found but could not be invoked. |
| 127 | The command could not be found. |
| Any other status | The wrapped command returned that status. |
With a final &, your interactive shell usually reports that it started a background job rather than waiting for the eventual application status. Use the log and process checks to determine whether the job remains alive; collect the application’s final status through its own logging or a supervising system when that distinction matters.
Common mistakes and precise fixes
Omitting the ampersand
Symptom: you cannot use the prompt until the command exits. Fix: add & after all arguments and redirections. The omission does not remove SIGHUP protection; it only keeps the job in the foreground.
Leaving output attached to a terminal
Symptom: output is missing, appears in an unexpected file, or the session remains noisy. Fix: redirect both output streams to a known path. Otherwise GNU nohup may create or append to nohup.out, first in the current directory and then under $HOME. Check available disk space for verbose jobs.
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Allowing terminal input
Symptom: the process pauses waiting for a prompt that nobody can answer. Fix: use </dev/null or provide a deliberate input file. Programs that fundamentally require an interactive terminal are a poor fit for nohup.
Writing to an unwritable log
Symptom: no log is created, or the command is not run when automatic output-file opening fails. Fix: create the directory first, test write access as the launching user, and use a path that user can open. Do not assume a service account can write to a system directory.
Assuming a successful launch means successful work
Symptom: the shell accepted the command but the process disappeared minutes later. Fix: inspect with ps or pgrep and read the log. Exit status 126 or 127 points to invocation or lookup problems; an application-specific nonzero status requires examining that application’s diagnostics.
Using a shell special builtin as the operand
GNU documentation says the command operand must not be a shell special built-in utility. Commands such as shell control constructs are interpreted by the shell rather than executed as ordinary external programs. Put the intended operations in an executable script and invoke that script instead:
nohup /home/user/bin/nightly-task.sh </dev/null >"$HOME/logs/nightly.log" 2>&1 &Expecting restart or boot persistence
Symptom: a crashed process stays down, or it is absent after a machine reboot. Fix: use a service or job-management system designed for restart policies and startup integration. nohup makes no such promise.
Shell and portability considerations
A shell may provide its own nohup function or builtin, which can take precedence over the external utility. Check the target environment with the shell’s command lookup facilities and read that environment’s manual page when behavior differs. If a script depends on GNU-specific behavior, run it on a system that provides GNU Coreutils and document that requirement.
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POSIX specifies the essential signal behavior and the nohup.out/$HOME/nohup.out fallback model, but permits implementation details around terminal standard input. Explicitly redirecting all three streams makes a script less dependent on those differences. Avoid relying on undocumented extensions when the same script must run across different Unix-like systems.
When nohup is the right tool—and when it is not
| Requirement | nohup |
Terminal multiplexer | Service manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survive logout | Yes, for a process that honors the inherited signal disposition. | Yes, while the process remains in the detached session. | Yes, as part of managed service execution. |
| Reconnect to an interactive terminal | No. | Yes; you can detach and later reattach to the session. | Usually no interactive console; use service logs or a separate administration channel. |
| Automatic restart after failure | No. | No by itself. | Yes, when configured with a restart policy. |
| Start at boot | No. | No by itself. | Yes, when enabled for the system’s startup target. |
| Logging and rotation | Basic redirection only; rotation is external. | Captures a session but does not replace log management. | Typically provides structured logging and rotation facilities, depending on the manager. |
| Resource controls and health checks | None. | None by itself. | Available through the manager’s configuration. |
| Portability | Widely available; exact defaults can vary. | Depends on the multiplexer being installed. | Depends on the operating system and manager. |
Choose nohup for a one-off batch
Use it when you have a command that should finish independently of your SSH session, does not need a live console, and does not require automatic recovery. Explicit input and log redirection make the run reproducible.
Choose a terminal multiplexer for an interactive session
If you need to reconnect and continue typing commands or watching an interactive game console, a terminal multiplexer is a better match. It preserves the terminal session itself rather than merely ignoring SIGHUP.
Choose a service manager for an always-on process
For a server that must start with the machine, restart after failure, expose health state, enforce resource policy, or integrate with system logging, define it as a managed service. Wrapping it in nohup would hide those missing guarantees rather than supply them.
A reliable checklist before logging out
- Confirm the executable path and arguments independently in the foreground.
- Decide whether the process is truly noninteractive.
- Create and permission-check the log directory.
- Redirect standard input, output, and error explicitly.
- Add
&only after the complete command and redirections. - Record the displayed process ID or assign
pid=$!. - Use
ps,pgrep, andtail -fto verify startup. - Check that the log location has enough capacity for the expected output.
- Decide whether the job actually needs restart, boot startup, interactive reconnection, or resource controls; if so, use a more capable manager.
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| The command blocks your prompt. | The final & is missing. |
Stop it if appropriate and relaunch with &. |
| No named log exists. | Output was left to automatic handling, or the path is unwritable. | Look for nohup.out in the current directory and $HOME; then relaunch with a tested explicit path. |
| The process waits indefinitely. | It is reading terminal input. | Supply an input file or relaunch with </dev/null if it is noninteractive. |
| The process exits immediately with 126. | The executable was found but cannot be invoked. | Check execute permission, interpreter availability, and executable format. |
| The process exits immediately with 127. | The command cannot be found. | Use an absolute path or correct the launching user’s PATH. |
| The process disappears later. | The application failed after startup; nohup does not restart it. |
Read the combined log and use a supervisor if automatic recovery is required. |
| The filesystem fills up. | Unbounded output is accumulating. | Reduce verbosity, choose an appropriate log destination, and arrange external rotation or cleanup. |
Bottom line
nohup is the correct small tool for keeping a noninteractive Linux command alive across logout: ignore SIGHUP, redirect every standard stream, and add & when asynchronous execution is required. Verify the process and its log after launch. As soon as you need reconnection, automatic restart, boot integration, health checks, resource controls, or managed logs, move from a wrapper to a terminal multiplexer or service manager suited to that requirement.
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