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# Most Used and Useful Linux Commands

Enhance your Linux system management with these essential commands:

View and Navigate File System with ls

List files and directories in the current location.

ls
ls -l
ls -a
ls -lh
ls -R

Manipulate Files and Directories with cp

Copy files or directories to desired locations.

cp file.txt new_location/
cp -r directory/ new_location/
cp -a directory/ new_location
cp -u file1.txt file2.txt destination_folder/

Manipulate Files and Directories with mv

Move or rename files and directories.

mv file.txt new_location/
mv directory/ new_location/
mv old_name.txt new_name.txt
mv file.txt ../new_directory/

Manage File Permissions with chmod

Modify file permissions for enhanced security.

chmod +x script.sh
chmod 644 file.txt
chmod -R 777 directory/
chmod 755 folder/

Display System Information with uname

Retrieve system information.

uname -a
uname -r
uname -m

Archive Compression using tar

Compress and decompress files and directories.

tar -czvf archive.tar.gz directory/
tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz
tar -cvf archive.tar file1 file2

View Current Date and Time with date

Display or set the system date and time.

date
date "+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"
date -d "yesterday"

Manipulate File Contents with sed

Stream editor for text transformation.

sed 's/old/new/g' file.txt
sed -i 's/old/new/g' file.txt
sed -n '1,5p' file.txt

Compare Files with diff

Compare files line by line.

diff file1.txt file2.txt
diff -u file1.txt file2.txt
diff -r directory1/ directory2/

Create Empty Files or Update Timestamp with touch

Create empty files or update access/modify timestamps.

touch new_file.txt
touch -d "last Monday" file.txt
touch -r file1.txt file2.txt

Display Disk Usage with df

Display disk space usage of file systems.

df
df -h
df -i

Display Running Processes with ps

Display currently running processes.

ps
ps aux
ps -ef

Manage User Information with who

Display information about logged-in users.

who
whoami
who -a

Check File Type with file

Determine file type.

file filename
file -i filename
file -s filename

Monitor System Processes with top

Monitor system processes and resource usage.

top
top -u username
top -n 1

Redirect Output to Files with tee

Redirect command output to files and terminal.

ls -l | tee output.txt
cat file.txt | tee -a output.txt

View System Information with hostname

Display or set the system’s hostname.

hostname
hostname -I
hostnamectl

Create Pipes Between Commands with | (Pipe)

Redirect output of one command as input to another.

ls -l | grep "keyword"
cat file.txt | sed 's/old/new/g'

Display File System Structure with tree

Display directory structure in a tree-like format.

tree
tree directory/
tree -L 2

Search File Contents with grep

Search for patterns in files.

grep "pattern" file.txt
grep -r "pattern" directory/
grep -i "pattern" file.txt

Master these commands to efficiently manage your Linux system!

Created on: Dec 29, 2023
Last updated on: Jan 7, 2024

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