dirname — Extract the directory part of a path

Linux / File and disk management / dirname.html

Prints the directory portion of a path by removing its last component.

Basic Information

What is this command?

dirname manipulates a path string by removing its last component. It does not check whether the path exists.

Scripts commonly pair it with basename to locate other files relative to their own location.

What problems does it solve?

• A script builds paths relative to its own location
• You only need the parent directory of a file
• You are splitting paths for other commands
• You need pure string handling without resolving links

Key features

Split a path

Prints the path without its last component.

• When to use: You need the directory of a config path
• What you get: The parent directory string
• Limitations: It does not verify that the directory exists.

Locate the script

Combine it with $0 to find the script directory.

• When to use: The script needs sibling files
• What you get: A path relative to the script
• Limitations: Running through a symlink yields the link location.

Handle multiple arguments

Multiple arguments produce one line each.

• When to use: You process several paths at once
• What you get: A result per path
• Limitations: Output order follows the input order.

Installation and usage

Check whether it is installed

dirname --version

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

Real-world examples

Split a path

Get only the directory part of a file path.

dirname /var/log/nginx/access.log

Script directory

Change into the directory that holds the script.

SCRIPT_DIR=$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$0")")
cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"

Several paths

Process two paths independently.

dirname /etc/hosts /var/log/syslog