Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

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

dircolors is not in the Solnix base system. Install pkgs.solnix.coreutils to get the GNU coreutils dircolors, which the Solnix page and the Linux page document identically. The BSD counterparts in the bundle: none, so there is nothing to compare against them.

The manual pages

Solnix: dircolors(1) from pkgs.solnix.coreutils
Linux: dircolors(1) coreutils-full-9.11

What Solnix runs

Not installed by default: add pkgs.solnix.coreutils. The bundle names no other variant and no illumos dircolors. The Solnix page is the GNU coreutils 9.7 page, dated April 2025.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	same program	The Solnix page and the Linux page describe the same GNU dircolors. Synopsis, options (`-b`, `-c`, `-p`, `--print-ls-colors`, `--help`, `--version`) and wording are identical. The Linux page is from coreutils-full-9.11 and the Solnix page from coreutils 9.7, but the bundle shows no behavioural change between them. Source: Solnix dircolors(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION; Linux dircolors(1) SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION
Linux	availability	On Solnix dircolors is not on PATH by default and must be installed from pkgs.solnix.coreutils. The Linux page is from a coreutils package; the bundle does not say whether Linux installs it by default. Source: Solnix bundle header (command on PATH: none); Linux dircolors(1) SEE ALSO (Packaged by https://nixos.org)
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	no BSD counterpart page	The bundle includes no dircolors page for FreeBSD, OpenBSD or NetBSD, so nothing here shows how they set LS_COLORS. The manual cannot confirm they have an equivalent. Source: Bundle header (only a linux COUNTERPART listed)
Linux	ls on PATH	dircolors only prints commands that set LS_COLORS. The default Solnix ls is the illumos ls, not GNU ls. The bundle does not say whether the illumos ls reads the variable that a GNU dircolors produces, so check the ls page. Source: Solnix dircolors(1) DESCRIPTION; Solnix bundle header (default PATH has no dircolors)

Standards

POSIX: dircolors is not a POSIX.1-2024 utility.

Writing portable scripts

Do not assume dircolors exists: test with command -v dircolors, and on Solnix install pkgs.solnix.coreutils first. Use eval "$(dircolors -b)" for Bourne-style shells and dircolors -c for C shell.

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.