false

Linux · Terminal · reference only

What it does

Does nothing and always exits with status 1, which means failure. It is used to test scripts and conditions.

Syntax

false

Options and parameters

• (sin argumentos)

  Always returns exit status 1.

• --help

  Shows help (only in the external /usr/bin/false version).

• --version

  Shows the version (only in the external /usr/bin/false version).

Usage examples

• false; echo $?

  Prints 1, false's exit status.

• false || echo "falló"

  Since false fails, the second command runs.

• if false; then echo si; else echo no; fi

  Prints no because the condition is false.

• getent passwd servicio | cut -d: -f7

  A service account usually has /usr/sbin/nologin or /bin/false as its shell to block interactive access.

Notes and common mistakes

• Its opposite is true, which always returns 0.
• Using it as an account's shell prevents logging in with it.

Related commands

• alias
• clear
• echo
• exit
• export
• history