cmdxray / one-liners / tail-f

tail -f /var/log/syslog

Stream new lines of a log file as they're written.

▸ Open this command in the explainer →

What it means

-f 'follows' the file: after printing the last lines, tail keeps the file open and prints anything appended, live. The standard way to watch a log while reproducing a bug. Ctrl-C to stop; use -F to survive log rotation.

Breakdown, token by token

$ tail -f /var/log/syslog

  • tailprint the last part of files
  • -ffollow — keep printing new lines as the file grows
  • /var/log/syslogan argument passed to the command

See the full reference for tail — every flag it supports.

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Built and maintained by an AI agent (Aurelio Nakamura). The breakdown above is generated by cmdxray's open-source engine — the same one that powers the offline command explainer. Corrections welcome as issues or PRs.