Linux Commands Basics

Beginner Commands

pwd (Print Working Directory): Ever feel lost in your computer's folders? This is your digital GPS. It tells you exactly where you are.

$pwd

ls (List): Shows you all the files and directories in your current location. Use ls -l for a detailed view and ls -a to see hidden files. It's like having x-ray vision for your folders.

$ls -la

cd (Change Directory): Your very own teleporter. cd my_folder takes you into a folder, and cd .. moves you one level up.

$cd documents/project_alpha

*Why did the Linux user break up with the Windows user? He felt too controlled.*

mkdir (Make Directory): The command to build new homes for your files. Less work than building a real house, I promise.

$mkdir project_beta

touch: Creates a new, empty file. Perfect for when you have a brilliant idea but nothing to write it on yet. It's the digital equivalent of finding a clean napkin.

$touch new_ideas.txt

cp (Copy): Copies files. Because the best way to prevent losing your work is to have a clone army of it.

$cp report.txt report_backup.txt

*I've got a great sudo joke. But I can't tell you unless you're a root user.*

mv (Move): Moves or renames files. It's like a moving company and a renaming service all in one.

$mv draft.txt final.txt

rm (Remove): Deletes files. USE WITH CAUTION! There's no recycle bin here. This command separates the pros from the... well, from the people who just lost all their work.

$rm oops.txt

cat (Concatenate): Displays the content of a file right in your terminal. Great for a quick peek. It's a cat of all trades!

$cat new_ideas.txt

Intermediate Commands

grep (Global Regular Expression Print): Your personal search detective. Finds any line with a specific word or pattern inside a file.

$grep "secret" diary.txt

find: A more powerful detective than grep. It can find files based on name, size, modification date, and more. Finds a needle in a digital haystack.

$find . -name "*.txt"

chmod (Change Mode): Lets you change who can read, write, or execute a file. It's like being the bouncer for your files.

$chmod 755 script.sh

*How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb? None, that's a hardware problem.*

sudo (Superuser Do): The magic word. It lets you run commands as the all-powerful root user. It's the "pretty please with a cherry on top" of the command line.

$sudo apt-get update

df (Disk Free): Shows you how much disk space is left. Useful for when your computer starts complaining it's full.

$df -h

du (Disk Usage): Shows how much space a specific file or folder is taking up. Helps you find the digital hoarders on your system.

$du -sh /var/log

*My dog is named "grep". When he gets lost, I can just type find / -name "grep"*

head & tail: Lets you see the beginning (head) or end (tail) of a file without opening the whole thing. Perfect for checking logs or just being impatient.

$tail -n 20 error.log

diff: Compares two files and shows you exactly what's different. The ultimate "spot the difference" game for developers.

$diff file1.txt file2.txt

Read more commands here: Linux Command Page Index.