Must-Know Linux Terminal Commands with Practical Examples

The Linux terminal is a powerful tool that allows users to interact with their system through text-based commands. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, having a grasp of basic terminal commands is crucial. In this guide, we’ll explore some essential Linux terminal commands along with explanations and practical examples. Table of Contents tar - Archiving and Compression rm - Removing Files and Directories ls - Listing Files and Directories history - Command History whoami - Current User uname - System Information ping - Network Connectivity date - Current Date and Time cp - Copying Files and Directories mkdir - Creating Directories pwd - Present Working Directory cd - Changing Directories file - File Type Information head and tail - Viewing File Content echo - Printing to the Terminal more and cat - File Content Display mv - Moving and Renaming Files wc - Word Count and Line Count sort - Sorting Lines in Files grep - Searching for Text Conclusion 1. tar - Archiving and Compression The tar command is used for archiving and compressing files and folders. Create a compressed archive of a file: tar -zcvf archive.tar filename Create an archive of multiple files: tar -zcvf archive2.tar filename1 filename2 filename3 Create an archive of a folder: tar -zcvf folder.tar folder/ 2. rm - Removing Files and Directories The rm command is used to remove files and directories. Remove a directory and its contents: rm -r folder/ Remove multiple files: rm filename1 filename2 filename3 3. ls - Listing Files and Directories The ls command lists the contents of a directory. List all files and directories in long format: ls -al 4. history - Command History The history command displays previously executed commands. Display command history: history Clear command history: history -c 5. whoami - Current User The whoami command displays the current user. Display current user: whoami 6. uname - System Information The uname command provides system information. Display system and kernel information: uname -a Display kernel release information: uname -r 7. ping - Network Connectivity The ping command checks network connectivity to a host. Ping a host four times: ping -c4 orioninsist.org 8. date - Current Date and Time The date command displays the current date and time. Display current date and time: date 9. cp - Copying Files and Directories The cp command is used to copy files and directories. Copy a file with a new name: cp filename newfilename Copy a file to a specific directory: cp filename /home/orion/ Copy a directory and its contents recursively: cp -r /home/orion/newfolder /tmp/newfolder 10. mkdir - Creating Directories The mkdir command creates directories. Create a new directory: mkdir newfolder 11. pwd - Present Working Directory The pwd command displays the present working directory. Display current directory path: pwd 12. cd - Changing Directories The cd command is used to change directories. Change to the Desktop directory: cd Desktop Move up one directory level: cd .. 13. file - File Type Information The file command provides information about file types. Determine file type: file filename.txt 14. head and tail - Viewing File Content The head and tail commands display the beginning and end of files. Display the first lines of a file: head filename.txt Display the last lines of a file: tail filename.txt 15. echo - Printing to the Terminal The echo command prints text to the terminal. Append new content to a file: echo "new content" >> filename.txt 16. more and cat - File Content Display The more and cat commands display file content. Display file content with paging: more filename.txt Concatenate and display multiple files: cat filename.txt filename2.txt 17. mv - Moving and Renaming Files The mv command moves or renames files and directories. Move a file to a new directory: mv filename newfolder/ 18. wc - Word Count and Line Count The wc command counts words, lines, and characters in a file. Count words in a file: wc -w filename.txt Count lines in a file: wc -l filename.txt 19. sort - Sorting Lines in Files The sort command sorts lines in files. Sort lines in a file: sort filename.txt Sort lines based on the second field: sort -k 2 filename.txt 20. grep - Searching for Text The grep command searches for text in files. Search for a specific pattern: grep "orion" filename.txt Search for a pattern and exclude matches: grep -v "orion" filename.txt Conclusion These are just a few of the fundamental Linux terminal commands that can empower you to navigate and interact with your system efficiently. As you continue to explore the Linux terminal, you’ll discover even more commands and functionalities that can help you streamline your workflow and manage your system effectively. So, dive in, experiment, and become a master of the Linux command line! GitHub ⭐ GitHub: https://github.com/orioninsist/linux-basic Also published here.