In a Bash shell, the exit status (a.k.a. exit code or return code) of the last command you ran is stored in the special parameter $?. In a terminal session, you can print out that value using echo:
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As an example, let's run the type command and then get its exit status. The type command in Bash provides information about a specific command.
If the command is valid (exists), then type exits with status 0:
$ type bash bash is /usr/bin/bash $ $ echo $? 0
If the command is not valid (does not exist), then type exits with status 1. Here, we'll assume that you don't have a program or command called foo:
$ type foo foo not found $ $ echo $? 1