Linux Command Cheat Sheet
Updated
•3 min read
Basic Linux commands
| Command | Description | |
ls | Lists all files and directories in the present working directory | |
ls -R | Lists files in sub-directories as well | |
ls -a | Lists hidden files as well | |
ls -al | Lists files and directories with detailed information like permissions,size, owner, etc. | |
cd or cd ~ | Navigate to HOME directory | |
cd .. | Move one level up | |
cd | To change to a particular directory | |
cd / | Move to the root directory | |
cat > filename | Creates a new file | |
cat filename | Displays the file content | |
cat file1 file2 > file3 | Joins two files (file1, file2) and stores the output in a new file (file3) | |
mv file "new file path" | Moves the files to the new location | |
mv filename new_file_name | Renames the file to a new filename | |
sudo | Allows regular users to run programs with the security privileges of the superuser or root | |
rm filename | Deletes a file | |
man | Gives help information on a command | |
history | Gives a list of all past commands typed in the current terminal session | |
clear | Clears the terminal | |
mkdir directoryname | Creates a new directory in the present working directory or a at the specified path | |
rmdir | Deletes a directory | |
mv | Renames a directory | |
apt-get | Command used to install and update packages |
File Permission commands
| Command | Description | |
ls -l | to show file type and access permission | |
r | read permission | |
w | write permission | |
x | execute permission | |
-= | no permission | |
Chown user | For changing the ownership of a file/directory | |
Chown user:group filename | change the user as well as group for a file or directory |
User management commands of linux
| Command | Description | |
sudo adduser username | To add a new user | |
sudo passwd -l 'username' | To change the password of a user | |
sudo userdel -r 'username' | To remove a newly created user | |
sudo usermod -a -G GROUPNAME USERNAME | To add a user to a group |
Networking command
| Command | Description | |
SSH username@ip-address or hostname | login into a remote Linux machine using SSH | |
Ping hostname="" or ="" | To ping and Analyzing network and host connections | |
quit | Logout |
Process command
| Command | Description | |
top | Details on all Active Processes | |
ps | Give the status of processes running for a user | |
ps PID | Gives the status of a particular process | |
pidof | Gives the Process ID (PID) of a process | |
kill PID | Kills a process | |
nice | Starts a process with a given priority | |
df | Gives free hard disk space on your system | |
free | Gives free RAM on your system |
