In Bash, which redirection sends both stdout and stderr to the same file?

• A. > file.txt
• B. 2>&1
• C. &> file.txt
• D. < file.txt

Answer: (C)

Merging standard output and standard error into one file in Bash is about directing both streams to the same destination. The &> redirection is a Bash-specific shorthand that does exactly this: command &> file.txt directs both stdout and stderr to file.txt. This is the cleanest way to ensure every message from a command ends up in the same log.

Why this works well: stdout carries the regular output, while stderr carries error messages. Redirecting both to the same file makes a complete record of what happened, without having to separately track outputs and errors.

By contrast, redirecting stdout only (command > file.txt) captures just the normal output, leaving errors visible (or redirected somewhere else). Redirecting errors only (command 2> file.txt) sends errors to a separate file. If you’re not using Bash, the portable approach is command > file.txt 2>&1, which first redirects stdout to the file and then makes stderr follow stdout. The input redirection (<) is for reading from a file, not for combining output streams.