---
name: "ali"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "nmh"
version: "1.5-release-0.2"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ali"
---

# ali(1)

list mail aliases

## NAME

ali - list mail aliases

## SYNOPSIS

**ali** \[**-alias** *aliasfile*\] \[**-list** \| **-nolist**\] \[**-normalize** \| **-nonormalize**\] \[**-user** \| **-nouser**\] \[**-version**\] \[**-help**\] \[*aliases* ...\]

## DESCRIPTION

**Ali** searches the named mail alias files for each of the given *aliases*. It creates a list of addresses for those *aliases*, and writes that list on standard output.  If no arguments are given, **ali** outputs all alias entries.

By default, when an aliases expands to multiple addresses, the addresses are separated by commas and printed on as few lines as possible.  If the **-list** option is specified, then when an address expands to multiple addresses, each address will appear on a separate line.

The switch **-user** directs **ali** to perform its processing in an inverted fashion: instead of listing the addresses that each given alias expands to, **ali** will list the aliases that expand to each given address.  If the **-normalize** switch is given, **ali** will try to track down the official hostname of the address.

The files specified by the profile entry “*Aliasfile*” and any additional alias files given by the **-alias** *aliasfile* switch will be read.  Each *alias* is processed as described in [**mh-alias**(5)](/mh-alias/5.md).

## FILES

```
^$HOME/.mh_profile~^The user profile
^/etc/passwd~^List of users
^/etc/group~^List of groups
```

## PROFILE COMPONENTS

```
^Path:~^To determine the user's nmh directory
^Aliasfile:~^For a default alias file
```

## SEE ALSO

[mh-alias(5)](/mh-alias/5.md)

## DEFAULTS

```
`aliasfiles' defaults to /etc/nmh/MailAliases
`-nolist'
`-nonormalize'
`-nouser'
```

## CONTEXT

None

## BUGS

The **-user** option with **-nonormalize** is not entirely accurate, as it does not replace local nicknames for hosts with their official site names.