Linux Flock Command: File Locking Explained

“Flock is a Linux command used for file locking. It prevents other processes or scripts from writing to or reading from the same file at the same time, reducing the risk of data corruption or loss.”

The use of the flock command allows for exclusive access control of a file, ensuring that only one process can operate on the file at a time. This is particularly useful in multi-process or multi-threaded environments, as it helps prevent race conditions from occurring.

To use the flock command in shell scripts, you typically need to specify the file descriptor and the type of lock (shared or exclusive). This allows you to lock files in order to ensure that only one instance can execute a certain operation at a time.

In short, the main purpose of the flock command is to provide a file-level locking mechanism to protect files from the impact of concurrent write or read operations.