Linux Commands Quick Reference Guide
By
EssingtonITS team
·
This quick reference guide provides a concise overview of essential Linux commands, covering file operations, system management, and network configuration. Ideal for beginners and experienced users needing a refresher.
| Command | Description |
| pwd | Displays the current working directory. |
| ls | Lists the files in a given directory, e.g. ls –al |
| cd | Changes the directory, e.g. cd /var/www/html |
| cp | Copies files, e.g. cp file1 backup/file2 |
| mv | Moves/renames a file, e.g. mv file1 file1.bak |
| rm | Deletes a file, e.g. rm file1 |
| mkdir | Creates a directory, e.g. mkdir backup |
| cat | Displays the contents of given files, concatenating if multiple files given, e.g. cat /etc/fstab |
| more | Pages longer documents across multiple screens, e.g. more hugefile |
| ln | Makes links between files (like shortcuts), e.g. lnIn some systems this has been replaced by systemctl command service -s origfile /etc/link_to_origfile |
| find | Searches the filesystem for files, e.g. find / -name file1 |
| grep | Powerful tool for searching within text, e.g. grep 'mysql' *.log |
| vi | Text editor, e.g. vi /etc/resolv.conf |
| history | Displays the past commands typed, e.g. history |
| tar | Creates an archive of files, in most new versions it can also compress, e.g. tar czvf usera_hom.tgz /home/user1 |
| chmod | Change the permissions of a file, e.g. chmod 755 file1 (see file permissions later) |
| chown | Change ownership of a file, e.g. chown root file1 |
| chgrp | Change the group ownership of the file, e.g. chgrp staff file1 |
| df | Displays disk space usage, e.g. df -h |
| du | Displays file space usage, e.g. du -h -s /var |
| ps | Displays a snapshot of the current processes, e.g. ps aux |
| top | Displays the tasks running and their CPU/memory usage, e.g. top |
| ifconfig | Configure a network device, e.g. ifconfig eth1 up |
| wget | Gets a file via HTTP, e.g. wget http://www.awebsite.com/file.tgz |
| useradd | Add a new user, e.g. useradd fred |
| userdel | Deletes a user, e.g. userdel fred |
| passwd | Changes the passwd for a user, e.g. passwd fred |
| rpm | Package manager command, list/install/update/delete packages, e.g. rpm -qa |
| yum | Update manager, e.g. yum update |
| man | View manual pages for a given program, e.g. man ping |
| service | Start/stop/check status of a running service, e.g. service httpd start |
| shutdown | Shuts down or restarts the system, e.g. shutdown –h now |
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