4.5 KiB
4.5 KiB
Basic Linux Commands
1. Navigation and File Management:
a) pwd (Print Working Directory)
- Shows the current directory path
- Usage: pwd
b) ls (List)
- Lists files and directories in the current directory
- Common options: -l: Long format with details -a: Show hidden files -h: Human-readable file sizes
- Usage: ls [options] [directory]
c) cd (Change Directory)
- Changes the current directory
- Usage: cd [directory] cd .. (move up one directory) cd ~ (go to home directory)
d) mkdir (Make Directory)
- Creates a new directory
- Usage: mkdir [directory_name]
e) rmdir (Remove Directory)
- Removes an empty directory
- Usage: rmdir [directory_name]
f) touch
- Creates an empty file or updates timestamps
- Usage: touch [filename]
g) cp (Copy)
- Copies files or directories
- Usage: cp [source] [destination]
- Options: -r: Recursive (for directories)
h) mv (Move)
- Moves or renames files and directories
- Usage: mv [source] [destination]
i) rm (Remove)
- Deletes files or directories
- Usage: rm [options] [file/directory]
- Options: -r: Recursive (for directories) -f: Force deletion without prompting
2. File Viewing and Editing:
a) cat (Concatenate)
- Displays file contents
- Usage: cat [filename]
b) less
- Views file contents page by page
- Usage: less [filename]
c) head
- Displays the first few lines of a file
- Usage: head [options] [filename]
- Options: -n [number]: Specify number of lines
d) tail
- Displays the last few lines of a file
- Usage: tail [options] [filename]
- Options: -n [number]: Specify number of lines -f: Follow file updates in real-time
e) nano
- Simple text editor
- Usage: nano [filename]
3. File Permissions and Ownership:
a) chmod (Change Mode)
- Modifies file permissions
- Usage: chmod [options] [mode] [file/directory]
- Example: chmod 755 file.txt
b) chown (Change Owner)
- Changes file ownership
- Usage: chown [user]:[group] [file/directory]
4. System Information:
a) uname
- Displays system information
- Usage: uname [options]
- Options: -a: All information
b) df (Disk Free)
- Shows disk space usage
- Usage: df [options]
- Options: -h: Human-readable sizes
c) du (Disk Usage)
- Estimates file and directory space usage
- Usage: du [options] [directory]
- Options: -h: Human-readable sizes -s: Summary for directory
5. Process Management:
a) ps (Process Status)
- Lists running processes
- Usage: ps [options]
- Common options: aux: Detailed information for all processes
b) top
- Displays real-time system process information
- Usage: top
c) kill
- Terminates processes
- Usage: kill [options] [PID]
- Options: -9: Force kill
6. Network Commands:
a) ping
- Tests network connectivity
- Usage: ping [options] [destination]
b) ifconfig
- Displays network interface information
- Usage: ifconfig
c) ssh (Secure Shell)
- Connects to remote systems securely
- Usage: ssh [user]@[host]
7. Package Management (for Debian-based systems):
a) apt-get update
- Updates package lists
- Usage: sudo apt-get update
b) apt-get upgrade
- Upgrades installed packages
- Usage: sudo apt-get upgrade
c) apt-get install
- Installs new packages
- Usage: sudo apt-get install [package_name]
8. File Compression:
a) tar
- Archives files
- Usage: tar [options] [archive_name] [files/directories]
- Common options: -c: Create archive -x: Extract archive -v: Verbose -f: Specify archive file
- Example: tar -cvf archive.tar files/
b) gzip
- Compresses files
- Usage: gzip [filename]
c) gunzip
-
Decompresses gzip files
-
Usage: gunzip [filename.gz]
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(1) The beginner’s guide to using terminal on Linux Mint - FOSS Linux.
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(3) BEGINNER'S GUIDE FOR LINUX - Start Learning Linux in Minutes - Tecmint.
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(4) Useful Basic Terminal Commands On Linux Mint 11 - HowtoForge.