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