Mastering the numerous terminal commands is a necessity for everyone, whether you’re a seasoned Linux user like myself or a newcomer who’s just getting his feet wet in this amazing world of Unix systems.
Although you can use the command-line utility in other operating systems, such as Windows, the terminal interface is especially attractive to us tech geeks because of Linux.
We’ve compiled this carefully designed guide for you outlining the 50 greatest Linux commands you’ll use on a regular basis because memorizing the number of terminal tools and commands available is practically difficult.
These Linux terminal commands can help you get a better understanding of the core operating system principles of Unix-like systems like Linux and Mac OS.
The Most Practical Linux Commands You Can Learn Right Now
The 50 finest Linux terminal commands have been hand-picked by our specialists to help you get the most out of your Linux system. You’ll start to feel the heat of becoming a conscious Unix system user by including several of these flexible terminal commands into your next terminal session. You can get a set of top Linux command cheat sheets for mastering the Linux system before delving into the details.
The Linux filesystem, like every modern operating system, is at the heart of its essential design and allows you to visualize and modify your system hierarchy. Learning to browse the filesystem in a creative way can help you advance your Linux skills.
1. pwd
pwd stands for Print Work Directory and does exactly what it says on the tin: it displays the current directory.
This is one of the most useful Linux terminal commands, designed to make life easier for novice users by ensuring they don’t get lost in the seemingly cryptic terminal window.
2. ls
The ls command is perhaps one of the most commonly used Unix commands. It shows you the contents of a specific directory, including both files and directories. You’ll use this command in conjunction with pwd to browse the vast Unix filesystem.
3. cd
The cd command, which stands for Change Directory, is what allows you to go from one directory to another.
It’s one of the few Linux commands that you’ll almost certainly use during your time with the operating system.
This command makes life easier for newbies in front of the terminal by giving a common way to traverse your device’s whole filesystem.
4. mkdir
Do you want to make a new folder in the terminal? The mkdir command was built specifically for this purpose.
It allows you to create directories anywhere on your Linux system – as long as you have the relevant permissions!
5. rmdir
The rmdir command, the arch enemy of the mkdir function, allows you to easily erase specified folders from your system. Although many people use the rm command for this, messing up parameters or even a single character with rm can lead to unexpected results. So, for the time being, use rmdir.
6. lsblk
You’ll frequently need to list your Linux system’s accessible block devices. One of the most commonly used Linux commands for this is lsblk. Professional users rely heavily on this helpful terminal command, which displays a tree structure of your block devices.
7. mount
When you connect in an SD card or a USB drive, unlike Windows, your distro is unlikely to show them right away.
You must use the mount command to mount it with your existing filesystem.
This is one of the most powerful terminal commands available in Linux.
8. df
The df command is one of the most powerful Linux terminal programmes for viewing important information about your filesystem’s disc space.
System administrators use it extensively to monitor and analyze real-time server or network-oriented systems.
Linux Commands for Manipulating the System
To learn more about your Linux system, you’ll need to use system commands. For this activity, you have access to a large variety of powerful Linux commands. We’ve included a few examples to get you started.
9. uname
The uname command is a basic Linux tool that displays system information such as name, version, and other details. With this tool, you may rapidly verify your OS and kernel versions, as well as the instruction length of your computer.
10. ps
This is one of several simple terminal commands that will allow you to see what processes your computer is currently running. It’s a simple yet powerful way to examine system resources, and it lets you control system operations directly from the terminal. This is one of the most basic and effective Linux monitoring tools available to Linux nerds.
11. kill
The kill command is an effective approach to terminate programmes that have become stuck owing to a lack of resources.
As your knowledge of the Linux operating system grows, you will understand the significance of this command.
The kill command, which is frequently included in lists of amusing Linux commands, is as powerful as its name suggests.
12. service
The de-facto command for invoking system-wide services from the terminal is the service command.
A powerful Linux terminal command for manipulating the system; you can leverage this command for running any System V init script directly from the terminal window.
13. batch
The batch command is your salvation if you’re looking for a handy tool that will run system services on a pre-defined schedule. Another useful Linux command for developing automation shell scripts; this handy little tool can dramatically boost your Linux productivity.
14. shutdown
Feeling a little sluggish at the end of the night and don’t want to click a few GUI elements?
The shutdown command is here to take your knowledge of Linux terminal commands to the next level.
Just don’t type it while you’re reading this!
Linux Commands to Look After Your Files
Your Linux system’s heart is made up of files. Almost everything you see on your computer is a file that can be manipulated in some way. If you want to be a Linux master, you’ll need to know how to manage your files.
15. touch
The touch command is required for creating a valid empty file under Linux. You can create files in your terminal on the go and fill them up later or in real-time, depending on your needs.
It’s also the command to use when you want to change the timestamps.
16. cat
The cat command was created to concatenate multiple files, but it has since been used for a variety of other tasks. You’ll use this and other Linux commands to create new files, see file contents in the terminal, and redirect output to another command-line tool or file, among other things.
17. head
You can use the head command to view the beginning of a file or piped data from the terminal. It’s one of the most popular Linux commands among users that do a lot of text processing. To enhance your productivity at the terminal, use this command if you’re working through a lot of files.
18. tail
The tail command, as a complement to the prior command, is likely to be used far more frequently than the header commands. Tail, along with cat and echo, is a fundamental Linux terminal command that can perform things you wouldn’t expect.
19. cp
The cp command simply tells your computer to copy a file or directory from one location to another.
You can’t live without it, along with a number of other de facto Linux commands.
With this handy command, you can copy numerous files to a directory directly from your terminal.
20. mv
It’s a supplement to the cut operation you execute in the GUI and is short for a move. The mv command, like cp, can be used to move single or numerous files from one location to another. With the -f argument, you can compel this Linux command to transmit huge files.
21. comm
You can use comm to compare two files for common and distinct lines. It’s one of the original Unix commands that made its way to Linux.
For those that need to process enormous volumes of files on the terminal, this is a must-have utility.
22. less
The less command, another often used Linux command, is well-liked for its ease of use for inspecting the contents of a file. The less command, unlike cat, allows users to traverse in both directions within a file without disrupting the terminal session.
23. ln
One of the most useful Linux commands for generating symbolic links to a specific file is the ln command.
You can use this small but powerful command to create many symbolic links to a single file or directory on your hard drive.
24. cmp
The cmp command allows you to compare two files and display the result to the standard output stream.
This, along with the comm command, is one of the most commonly used Linux commands by users who regularly process huge volumes of text files.
25. dd
To copy and convert files from one type to another, this is one of the most commonly used Linux commands by experienced users.
The fun part about this small but powerful command is that you’ll probably use it in conjunction with other terminal commands when making bootable live USB sticks.
26. alias
It is one of the most commonly used Linux commands by system administrators because it allows them to immediately replace a word in a file with another string from the terminal.
This is one of the best terminal commands for customising the shell and manipulating environment variables, among other things.
Funny Linux Commands to Explore When Bored
There are many amusing Linux commands available to keep your time in front of the terminal interesting.
These terminal commands are amusing in that they do tasks that no one would expect. We strongly advise you to experiment with these amusing Linux commands, as they will both relieve your boredom and provide valuable insight into the Unix philosophy.
27. cal
Did you know that Unix has a convenient calendar right in the terminal? The cal command is a humorous Linux program that displays the calendar in ASCII language format. To get specific information into the terminal, type this command with parameters like month and year.
28. fortune
One of my favorite amusing Linux commands is this. Try it out for yourself by typing it into the terminal.
It displays unexpectedly emotional, inspirational, or humorous lines that will make you laugh out loud.
29. history
Do you want to see a record of your terminal sessions? This is exactly what the history command allows you to do. This will print out the bash history of your terminal session in the tiny window if typed without any options.
It’s not only one of the most useful humorous Linux commands you’ll ever use in the terminal, but it also gives you a lot of information on how you use the terminal.
30. yes
So, you want to test some really amusing Linux commands right now? Simply open a terminal and type yes, followed by some text of your choice, then press enter. We’re confident it’ll be one of those terminal commands you’ll never forget.
31. banner
Have you ever fallen in love with these beautiful ASCII banners used by old school Unix legends?The banner command is one of those amusing Linux commands that allows you to make your own custom banners.
To get a feel for it, type this command on the terminal along with some text.
32. rev
This is yet another amusing terminal command for Linux veterans. The rev command will take your input text and reverse each character before writing it to standard output! It’s one of those terminal commands that allows you to leave a mysterious yet subtle impact on your acquaintances.
Most Used Linux Commands for Network Administrators
Linux is the go-to solution for sysadmins all over the world because of the power and flexibility it gives for networking. Linux is the operating system that powers the majority of today’s computer networks. Because this is a beginner’s guide, we’ll only cover the most basic networking terminal commands.
33. wget
This is one of the most useful Linux commands for downloading files off the web directly from the terminal.
This is one of those useful little terminal programmes that may be used in scripts or cronjobs to allow users to use HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP as internet protocols.
34. iptables
The iptables command launches a terminal application that allows system administrators to regulate incoming and outgoing internet traffic on a specific host computer.
It’s one of the most commonly used Linux commands by sysadmins to define legitimate traffic and blacklist suspicious or untrusted network requests.
35. traceroute
This command is commonly used by security professionals to determine the route a network packet takes on its way from one system to another by combining it with other terminal commands.
This is a powerful network command that can protect your machine from a variety of malicious invaders.
36. cURL
cURL is a very strong network application that makes uploading files across a network a piece of cake for even the most inexperienced Linux users.
This is one of those Linux commands that is used in network-related shell scripts that does not require user participation.
Linux Commands for Search and Regular Expression
For successfully searching the machine, Linux includes a number of configurable terminal commands.
You may easily obtain information about a certain file or sequence of files by combining such Linux terminal commands with sophisticated regular expression commands.
37. find
One of the most commonly used Linux commands for searching for files from the terminal is find.
Users may search for files based on file rights, ownership, modification date, size, and other parameters with this powerful yet flexible terminal command.
38. which
If all you’re looking for are executable files, the which command comes in handy.
This handy little terminal function takes particular parameters and basically searches the $PATH system environment variable for binary files based on them.
39. locate
The locate command is a Linux command that is used to find the location of a particular file.
It’s one of the most basic terminal commands to use when you’re not sure where a certain file on your Linux machine is.
40. grep
When looking for patterns in vast amounts of text files, the grep command is one of the most powerful regular expression terminal programmes available. It will take the pattern you’re looking for as input and look for it in the selected files.
41. sed
This is one of the most commonly used Linux commands for replacing specific elements of each line of a file or stream. Users that work with big amounts of text data and need to update them on the fly rely significantly on it.
Linux Commands That Deal With I/O And Ownership
To set and control I/O streams and file or directory ownership, Linux provides a sophisticated set of terminal commands. For such uses, the Linux commands mentioned below will outline some of the most basic Linux terminal commands.
42. clear
The clear command can be used to clear your terminal screen. Often, you’ll find yourself needing to clear the terminal screen after some earlier Linux instructions result in a jumbled output.
43. echo
The echo command is a strong command-line tool for printing particular text to the terminal console. To find out for yourself, type echo followed by some text enclosed in parentheses. What makes this command even more intriguing is that the output may be piped to other terminal commands.
44. sort
The sort command is quite effective at what it does. This command should be used whenever you need to sort a file in an alphabetical or reverse order.
45. sudo
The sudo command is Linux’s holy grail command. It allows non-privileged users to access and edit files with low permission levels. This command is frequently used to gain root access from a regular user account.
46. chmod
The chmod command is one of the most powerful Linux tools for changing or modifying system file or object access rights. This command may accept a wide range of options from users and alter the file permission based on those changes.
47. chown
The chown command is quite similar to the chmod command in terms of functionality. It allows users to change the ownership of a file or directory rather than modifying access permissions. The terminal programmes chmod and chown both require root access to run.
Miscellaneous Linux Commands For Everyday Use
The terminal commands listed below will help you enhance productivity and reduce workload.
Use these commands whenever you think they’re a good fit for the situation.
48. man
The man command, which stands for manual, is one of the most helpful Linux commands available.
This command, when followed by the name of another command, displays that command’s manual or documentation page.When learning how to use various Terminal commands, you’ll need to use this command frequently.
49. tar
The tar command can be used to archive and extract files.It is a widely used command for compressing files and is capable of handling such operations quickly.
50. whatis
The whatis command searches a set of databases for system commands that fit the short descriptions provided by the user.
Final Thoughts
We had the difficult challenge of selecting only 50 terminal commands from a large number of Linux commands when developing this guide. Our experts chose their favourites based on how well they will assist new Linux users in acclimating to the system. Finally, we’re really pleased with the results, and we’re confident that using this tutorial, you’ll have the necessary insights to master the numerous Linux terminal commands.
Thank you for your patience and willingness to stick with us.Keep an eye out for additional in-depth postings on important Linux commands.
