whereis

Explanation

The whereis command locates the binary, source, and manual page files for a command. It is more specialized than locate or find as it specifically searches in standard Linux directories for these three types of files associated with a given program name.

Basic Syntax

whereis [options] [-BMS directory... -f] name...

Common Flags and Options

Flag	Description
-b	Search for binaries only.
-m	Search for manuals only.
-s	Search for sources only.

Real-world Examples

1. Find the binary, source, and man pages for bash:

   whereis bash

   (Output might look like: bash: /bin/bash /etc/bash.bashrc /usr/share/man/man1/bash.1.gz)

2. Find only the binary for python:

   whereis -b python

3. Find only the manual page for ls:

   whereis -m ls