Are `-L1` and `-n 1` the same for `xargs`?

From the manual:

-L max-lines
Use at most max-lines nonblank input lines per command line. Trailing blanks cause an input line to be logically continued on the next input line. Implies -x.

-n max-args
Use at most max-args arguments per command line. Fewer than max-args arguments will be used if the size (see the -s option) is exceeded, unless the -x option is given, in which case xargs will exit.

-d delim
Input items are terminated by the specified character. [...]

Based on this and my understanding, in your case -L1 and -n1 are made equivalent both by the argument 1 passed and the delimiter changed from blank space to \n (newline) by the argument -d

For example, without the -d argument if you were to have a blank space in your locate output, then this line would be splitted into two arguments and hence 2 different use of rm with -n1, while it would still be treated as one argument and only one command with -L1

It appears that the difference, based on reading the manual, is that -L filters for nonblank lines, while -n does not. Presuming that locate will never output a line containing only whitespace, they should be functionally identical in this use-case.

The option -L is an XSI extension and is not required to be present on embedded systems.

The -n option is part of the basic standard and always works.

See the standard as a reference: http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/xargs.html

Note that some implementation may also switch the behavior for lines that end in spaces while others may concatenate a line ending in space regardless of whether the -L option has been specified.