Linux shuf Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to shuf on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including random shuffling, random selection, and randomization.

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Table of Contents

1. shuf Basics
2. Shuffling Lines
3. Random Selection
4. Input Sources
5. Troubleshooting

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shuf Basics

Shuffle Lines

Basic usage:

# Shuffle lines
shuf file.txt

# Randomly shuffles lines

Random Numbers

Number range:

# Random numbers
shuf -i 1-10

# -i = input range
# Output: random order of 1-10

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Shuffling Lines

File Shuffle

Shuffle file:

# Shuffle file lines
shuf file.txt

# Randomly reorders lines

Multiple Lines

Shuffle input:

# Shuffle input
echo -e "line1\nline2\nline3" | shuf

# Shuffles input lines

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Random Selection

Select N Lines

Random selection:

# Select random lines
shuf -n 5 file.txt

# -n = number (selects 5 random lines)

One Random Line

Single line:

# One random line
shuf -n 1 file.txt

# Selects one random line

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Input Sources

From Range

Number range:

# From range
shuf -i 1-100

# Shuffles numbers 1-100

From File

File input:

# From file
shuf file.txt

# Shuffles lines from file

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Troubleshooting

shuf Not Found

Check installation:

# shuf is part of coreutils
# Usually pre-installed

# Check shuf
which shuf

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Summary

This guide covered shuf usage, random shuffling, and random selection for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

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Next Steps

• sort Guide - Sorting data
• Bash Scripting Guide - Scripting basics
• shuf Documentation: man shuf

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This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.