Here is how to use the rm command to delete folders and remove files older than 30 days in Linux. If you want to delete files of a particular date range in Linux, read this tutorial.
Using rm Command
In Unix based systems, rm command is use to remove files or directories. The rm (remove) command is used to delete files and directories. rm removes each file specified on the command line. By default, it does not remove directories. When used recursively, it may be used to delete directories.
By default, it does not remove directories and it only works on files in its default settings. If the -r/-R/–recursive option is specified, however, rm will remove any matching directories and their contents. If the specified directory is empty, it may be removed with the -d/–dir option, instead.
Deleting using rm command
To delete a folder we can use the following command syntax:
rm -r -f /path/to/folder/Here:
- -f: A strong option. Never prompt for nonexistent files or arguments.
-r: Recursively remove directories and their contents - You can use the -v option alongwith the command to see verbose outputs. For using the verbos eoutput, you can use the same command in the following syntax:
rm -rfv /path/to/folder/Delete Files Based on Their Modification Or Time of Creation
If you want to delete files created or modified on the last day, which is last 24 hours, you can use the following command.
Note that in the following command, 1 denotes the number of days, and the minus (-) symbol denotes files created or modified before the said number of days (1 day in our example).
find -type f -mtime -1 -deleteNOTE: You can use a plus symbol (instead of minus symbol) to remove files created or modified before a day, before 24 hours.