Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

`atq(1)` on Solnix vs Linux and the BSDs

On Solnix, atq is the illumos /usr/bin/atq. Its -c and -n options match OpenBSD's. Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD have no atq -c or -n: -c there belongs to at and means 'cat the job'. Solnix and OpenBSD take usernames as arguments; Linux takes job numbers; FreeBSD and NetBSD take none.

The manual pages

Solnix: atq(1) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
Linux: atq(1) at-3.2.5
FreeBSD: atq(1) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: atq(1) 8.0
NetBSD: atq(1) 11.0

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos atq at /usr/bin/atq. No other variants are shipped. The page is a standalone atq page, not the combined at/batch/atq/atrm page used on Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD. The related commands are at(1) and atrm(1).

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-c` meaning	Solnix atq `-c` lists jobs in the order they were created. On Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD, `-c` belongs to at and cats the listed jobs to standard output. It is not an atq option there. Running atq `-c` in a script gives different results. Source: Solnix atq(1) -c; Linux atq(1) -c; FreeBSD atq(1) -c; NetBSD atq(1) -c
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-n` job count	Solnix atq `-n` prints only the total number of jobs in the queue. The Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD pages document no atq `-n`. OpenBSD has the same `-n`, described as printing the total number of files in the queue. Source: Solnix atq(1) -n; OpenBSD atq(1) -n; Linux/FreeBSD/NetBSD atq(1) SYNOPSIS
Linux	arguments: usernames vs job numbers	Solnix atq takes optional usernames and shows only those users' jobs. Linux atq takes optional job numbers instead (atq [job ...]). The same argument selects different things on the two systems. Source: Solnix atq(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; Linux atq(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, NetBSD	no argument to select jobs	The FreeBSD and NetBSD synopses are atq [`-q` queue] [`-v`] and atq [`-Vv`] [`-q` queue]. They take no username or job argument. Solnix and OpenBSD accept usernames, so atq username fails or is not documented on FreeBSD and NetBSD. Source: Solnix atq(1) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD atq(1) SYNOPSIS; NetBSD atq(1) SYNOPSIS; OpenBSD atq(1) SYNOPSIS
all four	who sees every user's jobs	On Solnix, a user holding the solaris.jobs.admin authorization sees the whole queue. On Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD the pages tie this to being the superuser. The Solnix page does not mention the superuser. Source: Solnix atq(1) DESCRIPTION; Linux atq(1) DESCRIPTION; FreeBSD atq(1) DESCRIPTION; OpenBSD atq(1) DESCRIPTION; NetBSD atq(1) DESCRIPTION
all four	queue selection with `-q`	The Solnix page documents no `-q` for atq. Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD all have atq `-q` queue to show only one queue. On Solnix the manual does not say how to filter by queue. Source: Solnix atq(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux/FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD atq(1) -q
all four	`-v` and `-V`	Solnix atq has no `-v` or `-V`. FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD `-v` adds completed but not yet deleted jobs to the listing. Linux has `-v` and `-V` in its synopsis, but its page describes `-v` only for at (show the run time before reading the job). Linux and NetBSD `-V` print the version. Source: Solnix atq(1) OPTIONS; FreeBSD atq(1) -v; OpenBSD atq(1) -v; NetBSD atq(1) -v, -V; Linux atq(1) -V, -v
Linux	output time format	Linux atq accepts `-o` fmt, a strftime-like time format for the job list. The Solnix page has no equivalent option and does not describe the output line format. Linux says each line shows job number, date, hour, queue and username. Source: Linux atq(1) SYNOPSIS, -o, DESCRIPTION; Solnix atq(1) OPTIONS
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	at `-l` as an alias	On Linux and NetBSD, at `-l` is documented as an alias for atq. On FreeBSD, at `-l` lists jobs and `-d` is an alias for atrm. The Solnix atq page does not mention at `-l`. Source: Linux atq(1) -l; NetBSD atq(1) -l; FreeBSD atq(1) -l; Solnix atq(1) SEE ALSO

Standards

POSIX: atq is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
Solnix: The Solnix atq page has no STANDARDS or interface-stability section.
NetBSD: The at and batch utilities conform to IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (“POSIX.2”). The page does not list atq separately.

Writing portable scripts

Do not use atq -c or atq -n in portable scripts. They mean something different or are not documented on Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD. Plain atq with no arguments is the common form.
Do not pass a username or job number to atq if the script must run everywhere. Solnix and OpenBSD take usernames, Linux takes job numbers, and FreeBSD and NetBSD take no arguments.

Every difference here is taken from the manual pages linked above: Solnix's published page, Linux (man-pages and the GNU and util-linux manuals), FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD. Each row names its source. Where a manual is silent, this page is too. Compiled 2026-10-26. Found a mistake? Mail hackers@lists.solnix.io.