locate(1L)

     NAME
          locate - list files in databases that match a pattern

     SYNOPSIS
          locate [-d path] [--database=path] [--version] [--help]
          pattern...

     DESCRIPTION
          This manual page documents the GNU version of locate.  For
          each given pattern, locate searches one or more databases of
          file names and displays the file names that contain the
          pattern.  Patterns can contain shell-style metacharacters:
          `*', `?', and `[]'.  The metacharacters do not treat `/' or
          `.'  specially.  Therefore, a pattern `foo*bar' can match a
          file name that contains `foo3/bar', and a pattern `*duck*'
          can match a file name that contains `lake/.ducky'.  Patterns
          that contain metacharacters should be quoted to protect them
          from expansion by the shell.

          If a pattern is a plain string - it contains no
          metacharacters - locate displays all file names in the
          database that contain that string anywhere.  If a pattern
          does contain metacharacters, locate only displays file names
          that match the pattern exactly.  As a result, patterns that
          contain metacharacters should usually begin with a `*', and
          will most often end with one as well.  The exceptions are
          patterns that are intended to explicitly match the beginning
          or end of a file name.

          The file name databases contain lists of files that were on
          the system when the databases were last updated.  The system
          administrator can choose the file name of the default
          database, the frequency with which the databases are
          updated, and the directories for which they contain entries;
          see updatedb(1L).

     OPTIONS
          -d path, --database=path
               Instead of searching the default file name database,
               search the file name databases in path, which is a
               colon-separated list of database file names.  You can
               also use the environment variable LOCATE_PATH to set
               the list of database files to search.  The option
               overrides the environment variable if both are used.

          The file name database format changed starting with GNU find
          and locate version 4.0 to allow machines with diffent byte
          orderings to share the databases.  This version of locate
          can automatically recognize and read databases produced for
          older versions of GNU locate or Unix versions of locate or
          find.
          --help
               Print a summary of the options to locate and exit.

          --version
               Print the version number of locate and exit.

     ENVIRONMENT
          LOCATE_PATH
               Colon-separated list of databases to search.

     SEE ALSO
          find(1L), locatedb(5L), updatedb(1L), xargs(1L) Finding
          Files (on-line in Info, or printed)