Introduction
Here is yet another Linux commands cheat sheet with a different flavor.
- It’s not a formal reference list but commands that I use regularly.
- It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list but more of the absolutely required ones to stay out of trouble.
- Knowing the command is often not sufficient. You have to figure out the right options. So I’ve also specified the relevant options.
For a man page explanation of the commands, use the link and copy/paste the command.
Commands
| System Information | |
|---|---|
uname -a |
Show basic system information |
cat /etc/*release* |
Show basic distribution information |
hostname |
Name of computer |
whoami |
Current logged in user name |
| Files and Directories Listing | |
pwd |
Show current working directory |
ls |
List files in a directory |
ls -a |
Include files starting with . or “hidden” files |
ls -la |
Show date and size information of all files |
ls -lS |
Sort by file size, largest first |
ls -lSr |
Sort by file size, smallest first |
ls -lt |
Sort by modification time, newest first |
ls -ltr |
Sort by modification time, newest last |
ls -lh |
Show file sizes in Kilo, Mega, Giga |
| Directory Manipulation | |
cd path/to/directory |
Change the current working directory |
mkdir directory |
Create a directory |
mkdir -p /path/to/directory |
Create a directory and the sub-directories |
rmdir directory |
Delete an empty directory |
rm -rv directory |
Delete a directory and all contents under it recursively |
cp -rv directory destination-directory |
Copy a directory to a new location |
mv -r directory destination-directory |
Move a directory to a new location |
| File Manipulation | |
rm file |
Delete a file |
cp file destination/directory |
Copy a file to the destination directory |
mv file destination/directory |
Move a file to the destination directory |
mv file new-file |
Rename a file |
| Disk, directory and file disk usage/sizes | |
df -h |
Show all file system disk space usage |
du -hs /path/to/directory |
Show size of directory |
du -hd N /path/to/directory |
Show sizes of sub-directories N levels deep |
ls -lh /path/to/directory |
Show file sizes in Kilo, Mega, Giga |
| Search | |
find path/to/directory -iname "*.jpg" |
Find files in a directory and its sub-directories |
grep -R "foo" /path/to/directory |
Find files recursively which contains the string foo |
| Processes | |
ps -ef | grep process-name |
Find process with process-name and get process-id for it |
kill process-id |
Terminate process with process-id |
kill -9 process-id |
Force terminate process with id process-id |
| Developer Tools | |
nm |
List symbols in object file, equivalent of Windows dumpbin.exe |
ldd |
List shared library dependencies, equivalent of Windows depends.exe |
| Utilities | |
history |
List recently run commands |
man command |
Help page for a command |
clear or CTRL L |
Clear the terminal screen |
Conclusion
If there are other commonly used commands that you think are missing, do let me know.
You might also find these basic vi/vim commands useful.
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