Essential Linux Commands List – ██FR█████ █INTELL███████████

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by TenE

Command	Use Case	Explanation
`ls`	List directory contents	Displays files and directories in the current directory. Use `ls -l` for detailed info.
`cd`	Change directory	Navigates between directories. Example: `cd /home/user` moves to `/home/user`.
`pwd`	Print working directory	Shows the current directory path. Useful to confirm location.
`mkdir`	Create a directory	Example: `mkdir new_folder` creates a new folder named `new_folder`.
`rmdir`	Remove empty directory	Deletes an empty directory. Use `rm -r` for non-empty ones.
`rm`	Remove files or directories	Deletes files (`rm file.txt`) or directories (`rm -r folder`).
`cp`	Copy files and directories	Example: `cp file.txt /backup/` copies `file.txt` to `/backup/`.
`mv`	Move or rename files	Example: `mv old.txt new.txt` renames `old.txt` to `new.txt`.
`cat`	View file contents	Displays file content. Example: `cat file.txt`.
`less`	View large files	Scroll through large files page by page. Example: `less log.txt`.
`head`	View first lines of a file	Example: `head -n 10 file.txt` shows the first 10 lines.
`tail`	View last lines of a file	Example: `tail -n 10 file.txt` shows the last 10 lines.
`grep`	Search in files	Example: `grep 'error' log.txt` searches for ‘error’ in `log.txt`.
`find`	Search for files	Example: `find /home -name '*.txt'` finds all `.txt` files.
`locate`	Find files quickly	Uses a prebuilt index. Example: `locate file.txt`.
`du`	Disk usage	Example: `du -sh folder/` shows folder size.
`df`	Disk space usage	Example: `df -h` shows available disk space in human-readable format.
`chmod`	Change file permissions	Example: `chmod 755 script.sh` sets executable permissions.
`chown`	Change file owner	Example: `chown user:group file.txt` assigns a new owner.
`ps`	List running processes	Example: `ps aux` shows all running processes.
`top`	Display system usage	Shows CPU/memory usage and running processes.
`htop`	Interactive process viewer	A better version of `top` (requires installation).
`kill`	Terminate a process	Example: `kill 1234` stops the process with PID 1234.
`pkill`	Kill process by name	Example: `pkill firefox` terminates all `firefox` processes.
`tar`	Archive files	Example: `tar -czvf archive.tar.gz folder/` creates a compressed archive.
`unzip`	Extract ZIP files	Example: `unzip archive.zip`.
`gzip`	Compress files	Example: `gzip file.txt` compresses `file.txt` to `file.txt.gz`.
`gunzip`	Decompress GZIP files	Example: `gunzip file.txt.gz` restores `file.txt`.
`ssh`	Secure shell connection	Example: `ssh user@server.com` connects to a remote server.
`scp`	Secure copy over SSH	Example: `scp file.txt user@server:/backup/`.
`rsync`	Sync files and directories	Example: `rsync -av source/ destination/`.
`wget`	Download files	Example: `wget https://example.com/file.zip`.
`curl`	Transfer data from URLs	Example: `curl -O https://example.com/file.zip`.
`nano`	Edit text files	Example: `nano file.txt` opens `file.txt` for editing.
`vim`	Advanced text editor	Example: `vim file.txt`. Press `i` to edit, `Esc` to exit insert mode, `:wq` to save and quit.
`history`	Show command history	Lists previously executed commands.
`clear`	Clear terminal screen	Clears the command line screen.
`echo`	Print text to terminal	Example: `echo "Hello, World!"`.
`export`	Set environment variables	Example: `export PATH=$PATH:/new/path`.
`alias`	Create command shortcuts	Example: `alias ll='ls -la'` defines `ll` as `ls -la`.
`uptime`	Show system uptime	Displays how long the system has been running.
`uname`	Show system information	Example: `uname -a` displays kernel version and system details.
`whoami`	Show current user	Displays the currently logged-in username.
`id`	Show user ID and group	Example: `id username`.
`groups`	Show group memberships	Lists the groups a user belongs to.
`passwd`	Change user password	Example: `passwd username`.
`shutdown`	Power off system	Example: `shutdown -h now` shuts down immediately.
`reboot`	Restart system	Example: `reboot`.
`cron`	Schedule tasks	Example: `crontab -e` opens the crontab file for scheduling tasks.
`systemctl`	Manage services	Example: `systemctl restart apache2` restarts Apache.
`journalctl`	View logs	Example: `journalctl -u apache2` shows logs for Apache.
`dmesg`	View boot logs	Example: `dmesg
{% raw %}`ip`	Show network details	Example: `ip a` displays network interfaces.
`ping`	Test network connectivity	Example: `ping google.com`.
`traceroute`	Trace network path	Example: `traceroute google.com`.
`netstat`	Show network connections	Example: `netstat -tulnp`.
`ss`	Display active connections	Example: `ss -tulnp` (alternative to `netstat`).
`nslookup`	Query DNS records	Example: `nslookup google.com`.
`dig`	Get DNS info	Example: `dig google.com`.
`iptables`	Manage firewall rules	Example: `iptables -L` lists rules.
`ufw`	Simplified firewall	Example: `ufw allow 22/tcp` allows SSH traffic.
`mount`	Mount file systems	Example: `mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb`.
`umount`	Unmount file systems	Example: `umount /mnt/usb`.
`df`	Show disk usage	Example: `df -h`.
`fsck`	Check and repair file system	Example: `fsck /dev/sda1`.
`mkfs`	Format a filesystem	Example: `mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1`.
`tune2fs`	Adjust ext4 filesystem settings	Example: `tune2fs -c 30 /dev/sda1`.
`iostat`	Show CPU and disk I/O usage	Example: `iostat`.
`vmstat`	Show system performance	Example: `vmstat 5`.
`mpstat`	Show CPU usage	Example: `mpstat -P ALL`.
`sar`	Monitor system performance	Example: `sar -u 5 10`.

This list covers essential Linux commands for daily use.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by TenE