Nick Janetakis • 7/7/2026

Watch Out for Data Loss When Redirecting to a File in a Shell Script

This article explains a subtle but critical issue in shell scripting: when redirecting output to a file, the file is truncated immediately, not after the command finishes. Using examples with pipes and awk, it shows how partial writes or failures can lead to data loss. It also covers using strace to verify behavior and safer alternatives like temporary files. Aimed at developers and IT professionals writing shell scripts.

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#linux #bash #Shell Scripting