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true

Do nothing, successfully (exit with 0)

command Shell UtilitiesScriptingBuilt-in

Overview

The `true` command does nothing except exit with a status code of 0, which indicates success. It is often used in shell scripts to create infinite loops or to provide a command that always succeeds.

Syntax

true [ignored_arguments]

Common Options

[arguments]

Any arguments provided are typically ignored.

--help

(GNU version) Display help and exit.

--version

(GNU version) Output version information and exit.

:

In many shells (like Bash), the colon `:` is a built-in command synonymous with `true` and is often more efficient.

Examples

$ true

Exits with a status code of 0.

$ if true; then echo "Success!"; fi

The commands within the `if` block will always execute.

$ while true; do echo "Looping..."; sleep 1; break; done

Creates an infinite loop that executes once due to `break`.

$ : # This is a comment, and the line successfully does nothing

Using the colon built-in as a `true` equivalent.

Related Commands

awk

Pattern scanning and processing language

sed

Stream editor for filtering and transforming text

curl

Transfer data from or to a server

jobs

List active jobs

history

Display command history

fg

Bring a job to the foreground

truesuccessexit 0scriptingloopboolean