Man pages › Compared with Linux and the BSDs

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

On Solnix, find is the illumos /usr/bin/find. It requires at least one path operand and has only the options -E, -H and -L. There is no -P, -d, -f, -s, -x or -X, and no -D or -O. Depth, symlink following and filesystem limits are expressed as primaries.

The manual pages

Solnix: find(1) from pkgs.solnix.illumos-world-man · illumos.org
Linux: find(1) findutils-4.10.0
FreeBSD: find(1) 15.1-RELEASE
OpenBSD: find(1) 8.0
NetBSD: find(1) 11.0
Standard: POSIX.1-2024 (IEEE Std 1003.1-2024), find

What Solnix runs

A default Solnix system runs the illumos /usr/bin/find. /usr/xpg4/bin/find is also shipped; its synopsis is [-H | -L] path... expression, so it lacks -E. The bundle does not say how else the two differ. Solnix-only primaries include -acl, -groupacl, -gsid, -gsidacl, -cpio and -local.

Differences

Compared with	Topic	What differs
Linux	default starting point	Solnix find lists path... as a required operand. GNU find makes starting-point optional and assumes `.` when none is given. A Linux script that runs a bare `find `-name` x` has no documented equivalent on Solnix; give `.` explicitly. Source: Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS; Linux find(1) DESCRIPTION (no starting-point, `.` is assumed)
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD	`-P` option	Solnix has no `-P`. Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD accept `-P` (never follow symlinks; documented as the default on Linux and FreeBSD). Solnix documents only `-H` and `-L`, and the last one given wins. OpenBSD has no `-P` either. Source: Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; Linux find(1) -P; FreeBSD find(1) -P; NetBSD find(1) -P; OpenBSD find(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-d`, `-f`, `-s`, `-x`, `-X` options	The BSDs accept `-d` (post-order traversal), `-f` path, `-x` (stay on one device) and `-X` (xargs-safe). FreeBSD and NetBSD also accept `-s` (sorted traversal). Solnix find accepts none of these. Its only options are `-E`, `-H` and `-L`. Source: Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS, OPTIONS; FreeBSD find(1) -d -f -s -x -X; OpenBSD find(1) -d -f -x -X; NetBSD find(1) -d -f -s -x -X
Linux	`-D` and `-O` meaning	On Linux, `-D` debugopts and `-Olevel` are options placed before the paths. Solnix has neither. A lower-case `-d` is a BSD traversal option that does not exist on Solnix. Do not assume the letters carry over. Source: Linux find(1) SYNOPSIS; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD find(1) -d; Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS
OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-h` meaning	On OpenBSD, `-h` is an alias for `-L`. On NetBSD, `-h` also makes file information come from the link target. Solnix find has no `-h`; use `-L`. Source: OpenBSD find(1) -h; NetBSD find(1) -h; Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS
Linux, OpenBSD	`-E` for extended regex	Solnix `/usr/bin/find` and FreeBSD and NetBSD accept `-E` to make `-regex` and `-iregex` use extended regular expressions. Linux and OpenBSD do not list `-E` in their synopses. `/usr/xpg4/bin/find` on Solnix also lacks it. Source: Solnix find(1) SYNOPSIS, -E; FreeBSD find(1) -E; NetBSD find(1) -E; Linux find(1) SYNOPSIS; OpenBSD find(1) SYNOPSIS
FreeBSD	`-follow` and `-L`	Solnix documents `-follow` as a primary that is always true and always evaluated, with unspecified behaviour if `-H` or `-L` is also given. FreeBSD calls `-follow` deprecated and equivalent to `-L`. Source: Solnix find(1) -follow; FreeBSD find(1) -L, COMPATIBILITY
FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD	`-delete` restrictions	Solnix `-delete` implies `-depth`, is incompatible with following symlinks, and rejects relative paths starting with `/`. FreeBSD and NetBSD only warn that `-delete` interacts badly with options that change traversal. The BSD pages list it as a POSIX extension. Source: Solnix find(1) -delete; FreeBSD find(1) BUGS, STANDARDS; NetBSD find(1) STANDARDS; OpenBSD find(1) STANDARDS
all four	Solnix-only primaries	Solnix documents `-acl`, `-groupacl`, `-gsid` and `-gsidacl` for ACL and Windows SID matching, `-cpio` to write cpio format, and `-local`, which reads `/etc/dfs/fstypes.` None of these appear in the other pages' option or standards text in the bundle. Source: Solnix find(1) -acl, -groupacl, -gsid, -gsidacl, -cpio, -local; FreeBSD/OpenBSD/NetBSD find(1) STANDARDS
OpenBSD	implicit `-print`	OpenBSD wraps an expression that has no output primary as ( expression ) `-print`. Linux uses `-print` when no expression is given. The visible Solnix page text does not document an implicit `-print`, so add `-print` explicitly. Source: OpenBSD find(1) DESCRIPTION; Linux find(1) OPTIONS; Solnix find(1) DESCRIPTION
OpenBSD, NetBSD	exit status	Solnix says find returns non-zero if any `-exec` ... + invocation does. NetBSD says the same and also exits 1 on internal errors. OpenBSD documents 0 on success and >0 on error. The Solnix excerpt has no EXIT STATUS section. Source: Solnix find(1) -exec; NetBSD find(1) EXIT STATUS; OpenBSD find(1) EXIT STATUS

Standards

POSIX: find is a POSIX.1-2024 utility.
OpenBSD: The find utility is compliant with the IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (“POSIX.1”) specification; options -dfhXx and several primaries are extensions.
FreeBSD: The find utility syntax is a superset of the syntax specified by the IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (“POSIX.1”) standard.
NetBSD: The find utility syntax is a superset of the syntax specified by the IEEE Std 1003.2 (“POSIX.2”) standard.

Writing portable scripts

Always give an explicit starting path and an explicit action such as -print. Use only -H or -L for symlinks, and put any -name, -type or -exec tests after the paths.
Avoid -P, -d, -f, -s, -x, -X, -h and -D in portable scripts. Use the -depth and -xdev primaries and -L instead, but check -xdev against the Solnix page first because the excerpt here is trimmed.

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.