nohup - macOS

Overview

nohup allows you to run commands without having to keep the terminal window open. This can be useful for running long-running tasks or background processes.

Syntax

nohup command [argument...]

Options/Flags

  • -h, –help: Print usage information and exit.
  • -o, –output file: Redirect stdout to the specified file.
  • -e, –error file: Redirect stderr to the specified file.
  • -p, –preserve-stderr: Preserve stderr instead of merging it with stdout.

Examples

  • Run a command in the background:
nohup somecommand arg1 arg2
  • Redirect stdout to a file:
nohup somecommand arg1 arg2 > output.txt
  • Redirect stderr to a file:
nohup somecommand arg1 arg2 2> error.txt

Common Issues

  • Permission denied: Ensure that you have permission to execute the command and write to the output files.
  • Command not found: Verify that the command you are trying to run is installed and in your system’s path.

Integration

  • Use nohup to run long-running tasks on remote servers using SSH.
  • Create scripts that automatically start and stop processes in the background using nohup.
  • Combine nohup with screen or tmux to manage multiple terminal sessions and keep processes running even when you disconnect.
  • screen: Manage multiple terminal sessions.
  • tmux: A modern terminal multiplexer.
  • disown: Disown a running process from the current terminal session.