basename — Extract the file name from a path

Linux / File and disk management / basename.html

Keeps only the last component of a path and optionally strips a suffix.

Basic Information

What is this command?

basename extracts just the file name from a path. A second argument removes that suffix as well.

It is useful for swapping extensions or embedding a file name in log messages.

What problems does it solve?

• You only need the name from a path
• You are converting a file to another extension
• You want the file name in a message
• A loop needs the target name

Key features

Get the file name

Prints only the last component.

• When to use: You need just the name
• What you get: The file name including extension
• Limitations: A directory path yields the directory name.

Strip a suffix

The second argument removes a suffix.

• When to use: You build a sibling file name
• What you get: The name without the suffix
• Limitations: Only an exact suffix match is removed.

Handle multiple arguments

-a handles several paths.

• When to use: In batch conversion scripts
• What you get: A name per path
• Limitations: -a is a GNU extension and may be missing elsewhere.

Installation and usage

Check whether it is installed

basename --version

sudo apt install coreutils # Debian/Ubuntu sudo dnf install coreutils # Fedora

Real-world examples

Get the name

Get only the file name.

basename /var/log/nginx/access.log

Swap the extension

Keep the name and add a new extension.

name=$(basename report.csv .csv)
echo "$name.md"

Several paths

Print names for two paths.

basename -a /etc/hosts /etc/fstab