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The head command

The head command prints the first ten lines of a file.

Example:

head filename.txt

Syntax:

head [OPTION] [FILENAME]

Get a specific number of lines:

Use the -n option with a number (should be an integer) of lines to display.

Example:

head -n 10 foo.txt

This command will display the first ten lines of the file foo.txt.

Syntax:

head -n <number> foo.txt

Additional Flags and their Functionalities

Short Flag	Long Flag	Description
-c	--bytes=[-]NUM	Print the first NUM bytes of each file; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM bytes of each file
-n	--lines=[-]NUM	Print the first NUM lines instead of the first 10; with the leading '-', print all but the last NUM lines of each file
-q	--quiet, --silent	Never print headers giving file names
-v	--verbose	Always print headers giving file names
-z	--zero-terminated	Line delimiter is NUL, not newline
	--help	Display this help and exit
	--version	Output version information and exit