Searching for files by name and/or extension

When we have large number of files available for viewing, sometimes we need to find a file among many without using the GUI searching tools or provide a better set of granular filters to reduce returned results. To search on the command line, there are a few facilities/commands we can use:

• locate (also a sibling of the updatedb command): Used to find files more efficiently using an index of files
• find: Used to find files with specific attributes, extensions, and even names within a specific directory

The find command is far more suitable for the command line and widespread (often being on embedded devices), but the locate command is a common facility for use on desktops, laptops, and servers. Locate is far more simpler and involves recursively indexing all of the files it is configured to keep track of and it can generate very quick file listings. The file index can be updated using the following command:

$ sudo updatedb

Note

Updating the database for...