---
title: Output reference
order: 8
description: "A short, shareable id such as out1a2b3c for one target execution's captured output; magus query output prints those exact bytes. In OpenTelemetry terms it names a span."
tags: [glossary, execution-and-caching]
---

# Output reference

A short, shareable id (`out1a2b3c`, "ref" for short) for one target execution's
captured output; it appears on each target's line, and
`magus query output out1a2b3c` prints those exact bytes. In OpenTelemetry terms
it corresponds to a **span** (one target execution) within its **trace** (the
whole `magus` invocation).

## Example

```sh
magus query output out1a2b3c
```

## Used in

<!-- BEGIN GLOSSARY USAGE (generated by glossary-usage-generate from the knowledge graph; edit the generator, not this list) -->

In the docs:

- [Target output references](../concepts/cache/output-refs.md#target-output-references)

<!-- END GLOSSARY USAGE -->

## See also

- [Target output references](../concepts/cache/output-refs.md)
- [Span](span.md)
- [Run](run.md)