Bash - run one command after second one when first one fails

In this short artlcle we would like to show how to run one command after second one when first one fails using Bash.

Quick solution:

first_command || second_command

Practical example

In this example, we present ls and echo commands combining.

Bash command:

ls /path/to/unexisting/directory || echo "ls command has failed and both commands are done!"

Output:

ls: cannot access '/path/to/unexisting/directory': No such file or directory
ls command has failed and both commands are done!

Explaination:

1. ls command tries to list files under not existing directory and fails,

2. then echo command is run printing text in the command line.

See also

1. Bash - run one command after second one when first one is succeed and done

2. Bash - run one command after second one regardless of the result