Exitkoden

Exitkoden is a term that refers to a specific sequence of commands or instructions that signals the termination of a program or process. In computing, when a program finishes its execution, it typically returns a status code to the operating system or the calling process. This status code, often called an exit code or exit status, indicates whether the program completed successfully or encountered an error.

A zero exit code conventionally signifies successful execution. This means the program ran as expected and completed its intended task without any issues. Conversely, a non-zero exit code typically indicates that an error occurred during the program's execution. The specific non-zero value can sometimes provide more detailed information about the nature of the error, though this is not universally standardized.

Exit codes are crucial for scripting and automation. When one program calls another, it can check the exit code of the called program to determine if it needs to take corrective action, log an error, or proceed to the next step. For instance, in shell scripting, a script might execute a command and then use an `if` statement to check its exit code. If the exit code is not zero, the script might display an error message or attempt to retry the operation.

The concept of exit codes is fundamental to how different parts of a computer system communicate about the success or failure of their operations, enabling robust and reliable software execution and management.