Complete list of Linux Commands

Linux Commands List with Usage Examples

Linux commands are typed in a terminal to work with files, directories, processes, packages, users, networking, disk space, and system information. This page gives a practical Linux commands list for beginners and system administrators, with short descriptions and command-line examples.

To learn the full options for any command on your system, use man, info, or the command’s built-in help option. Manual pages are usually the most reliable reference because command behavior can vary slightly by Linux distribution and installed version.

man ls
info coreutils 'ls invocation'
ls --help

How to Read Linux Command Syntax

A Linux command usually has a command name, options, and arguments. Options change the behavior of the command, while arguments tell the command what file, directory, user, host, or pattern to work on.

command -option argument
command --long-option argument

For example, in the command below, ls is the command, -l is an option, and /var/log is the directory argument.

ls -l /var/log

Linux File and Directory Commands

These Linux terminal commands are used for moving around the file system, listing files, creating directories, copying files, renaming files, and removing files.

Command	Description	Usage
cat	Displays file contents or joins files and prints them to standard output.	cat content.txt
cd	Changes the current working directory.	cd /home/local/
cp	Copies files or directories. The copied file is independent of the original file.	cp file.txt /home/user/
file	Shows the type of a file, such as text, image, executable, or compressed archive.	file script.sh
find	Searches for files and directories under a given path using names, types, sizes, times, and other expressions.	find . -iname "HelloWorld.java"
ln	Creates hard links or symbolic links between files.	ln -s /var/www/html site
locate	Searches an indexed file-name database and returns matching paths. It may require an updated database.	locate "*.mp3"
ls	Lists files and directories.	ls -la
mkdir	Creates one or more directories.	mkdir NewDirectory
mv	Moves or renames files and directories.	mv file.txt /home/user/samples/
pwd	Prints the full path of the current working directory.	pwd
rm	Removes files. By default, it does not remove directories unless recursive options are used.	rm textfile.txt
rmdir	Removes empty directories.	rmdir NewDirectory
touch	Creates an empty file or updates file access and modification times.	touch file.txt
tree	Displays directories and files in a tree-like layout when the command is installed.	tree /etc

Linux Text Viewing and Text Processing Commands

Use these Linux commands to view text files, search inside files, sort lines, compare files, count text, and transform text streams.

Command	Description	Usage
awk	Scans and processes text by fields and patterns. It is commonly used in reports and shell scripts.	awk '{print $1}' access.log
cut	Extracts selected columns or fields from each line of input.	cut -d ':' -f1 /etc/passwd
diff	Compares files line by line and shows the differences.	diff old.txt new.txt
echo	Writes text to standard output.	echo 'HELLO'
grep	Searches for lines that match a pattern.	grep -r "arjun" *
head	Displays the first lines of a file.	head -n 20 app.log
less	Opens a text file for scrolling and searching without editing the file.	less /var/log/syslog
more	Displays file contents page by page.	more README.txt
sed	Edits text streams. It is commonly used for substitutions and line-based transformations.	sed 's/error/warning/g' app.log
sort	Sorts lines from a file or standard input.	sort sample.txt
tail	Displays the last lines of a file. With -f, it follows new lines as they are written.	tail -f /var/log/syslog
uniq	Filters adjacent duplicate lines, often used after sort.	sort names.txt | uniq
wc	Counts lines, words, and bytes in files or input.	wc -l users.txt

Linux Permission, Ownership, and User Commands

Linux permissions control who can read, write, or execute a file. These commands are important when managing scripts, shared directories, web files, and administrative tasks.

Command	Description	Usage
chmod	Changes file or directory permissions.	chmod 755 content.txt
chown	Changes the owner and group of files or directories.	sudo chown user:www-data index.html
groups	Shows the groups for a user.	groups arjun
id	Prints user ID, group ID, and group membership information.	id
passwd	Changes a user’s password.	passwd
su	Switches to another user account or starts a root shell when allowed.	su -
sudo	Runs a command as another user, commonly as the superuser, according to system policy.	sudo rm textfile.txt
umask	Shows or sets default permission masks for newly created files and directories.	umask
useradd	Adds a new user account. Options may vary by distribution.	sudo useradd demo
usermod	Modifies an existing user account, such as adding the user to a group.	sudo usermod -aG sudo demo
whoami	Prints the current effective user name.	whoami

Linux Disk Space and Storage Commands

These Linux commands help you check disk usage, mounted file systems, block devices, and storage-related information.

Command	Description	Usage
blkid	Prints block device attributes such as UUID and file system type.	sudo blkid
df	Reports used and available disk space on mounted file systems.	df -h
du	Reports disk usage for files and directories.	du -sh /var/log
fdisk	Views or manages disk partition tables. Administrative permissions are usually required.	sudo fdisk -l
lsblk	Lists block devices in a readable tree format.	lsblk
mount	Mounts a file system or displays currently mounted file systems.	mount
umount	Unmounts a mounted file system.	sudo umount /mnt/usb

Linux Process and System Monitoring Commands

Use these commands to inspect running processes, memory usage, logged-in users, uptime, and system status.

Command	Description	Usage
free	Displays memory usage and swap usage.	free -h
htop	Interactive process viewer when installed. It is commonly used as a more readable alternative to top.	htop
kill	Sends a signal to a process, commonly to terminate it.	kill 1234
killall	Sends a signal to processes by command name.	killall firefox
ps	Displays information about running processes.	ps aux
systemctl	Controls and inspects systemd services on distributions that use systemd.	sudo systemctl status nginx
top	Displays an interactive real-time view of running processes and resource usage.	top
uptime	Shows how long the system has been running and the load average.	uptime
w	Shows logged-in users and what they are doing.	w

Linux Networking Commands

Networking commands help you test connectivity, inspect IP addresses, download files, connect to remote systems, and troubleshoot ports.

Command	Description	Usage
curl	Transfers data from or to a server. It is commonly used for HTTP requests and API testing.	curl https://example.com
dig	Queries DNS records when the command is installed.	dig example.com
hostname	Prints or sets the host name. With -I, it prints assigned IP addresses.	hostname -I
ip	Shows and manages IP addresses, routes, and network interfaces.	ip addr show
netstat	Displays network connections and listening ports on systems where the command is available.	netstat -tulpn
ping	Sends ICMP echo requests to test whether a host is reachable.	ping www.google.com
scp	Copies files securely between local and remote systems over SSH.	scp file.txt user@example.com:/tmp/
ss	Displays socket statistics and is commonly used to inspect listening ports.	ss -tulpn
ssh	Logs in to a remote machine and runs commands over an encrypted connection.	ssh user@example.com
traceroute	Shows the network path to a host when the command is installed.	traceroute example.com
wget	Downloads files from the web using HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP.	wget https://example.com/file.zip

Linux Package Management Commands

Package commands depend on the Linux distribution. Debian and Ubuntu systems commonly use APT, Red Hat-based systems commonly use DNF or YUM, Arch Linux uses pacman, and SUSE uses zypper.

Command	Description	Usage
apt-get	Command-line tool for handling packages on Debian-based systems. It is often used in scripts.	sudo apt-get install package_name
apt	User-friendly package command for Debian-based systems such as Ubuntu.	sudo apt install package_name
dnf	Package manager used on many Fedora and Red Hat-based systems.	sudo dnf install package_name
dpkg	Low-level Debian package tool for installing, querying, and removing .deb packages.	dpkg -l
pacman	Package manager used on Arch Linux and related distributions.	sudo pacman -S package_name
rpm	Low-level package tool for RPM packages.	rpm -qa
yum	Package manager used on older Red Hat-based systems and some compatible distributions.	sudo yum install package_name
zypper	Package manager used on openSUSE and SUSE Linux Enterprise systems.	sudo zypper install package_name

Linux Archive and Compression Commands

These Linux commands are used to create archives, extract files, and compress or decompress data.

Command	Description	Usage
gzip	Compresses a file using gzip compression.	gzip access.log
gunzip	Decompresses a gzip-compressed file.	gunzip access.log.gz
tar	Creates and extracts archive files.	tar -cvf images.tar /home/arjun/images/
unzip	Extracts files from a ZIP archive.	unzip archive.zip
zip	Creates ZIP archive files.	zip archive.zip file1.txt file2.txt

Linux Editors and Help Commands

Linux systems usually include text editors and help tools. Availability may differ by distribution and installation profile.

Command	Description	Usage
alias	Creates a shortcut for a command in the current shell session.	alias ll='ls -la'
history	Shows previously executed shell commands.	history
man	Opens online manual pages for commands and system interfaces.	man grep
nano	Opens the GNU nano text editor, which is simple for quick edits.	nano content.txt
type	Shows how a command name is interpreted by the shell.	type cd
vi	Opens the vi editor for editing plain text files.	vi HelloWorld.java
which	Prints the path of an executable command found in the user’s PATH.	which python3

Linux System Information and Shutdown Commands

These commands show operating system details, kernel information, date and time, and system power actions.

Command	Description	Usage
cal	Displays a calendar when installed.	cal
date	Prints or sets the system date and time.	date
dmesg	Prints kernel ring buffer messages. It is often used for hardware and boot troubleshooting.	sudo dmesg | less
env	Displays environment variables or runs a command with a modified environment.	env
reboot	Restarts the system when permitted.	sudo reboot
shutdown	Halts, powers off, or reboots the machine at a specified time.	sudo shutdown -h now
uname	Prints system and kernel information.	uname -a

Common Linux Command Examples for Daily Use

The examples below combine common Linux commands in realistic terminal tasks.

# Show the current directory and list files
pwd
ls -la

# Create a directory and copy a file into it
mkdir backups
cp notes.txt backups/

# Find large log files under /var/log
sudo find /var/log -type f -size +100M

# Check disk space in human-readable format
df -h

# Follow a log file as new lines are written
tail -f /var/log/syslog

Linux Command Safety Tips for Beginners

Some Linux commands can permanently change files or system settings. Be careful with commands that remove files, overwrite data, change permissions, or run with sudo.

• Run pwd before destructive file commands so you know your current directory.
• Use ls to confirm file names before using rm, mv, or cp.
• Avoid using sudo unless administrative permission is really required.
• Be careful with recursive commands such as rm -r, chmod -R, and chown -R.
• Prefer testing commands on sample files before running them on important directories.

Linux Commands FAQ

What is the most useful Linux command for beginners?

The most useful beginner Linux commands are pwd, ls, cd, cat, cp, mv, rm, mkdir, man, and sudo. These commands cover navigation, file handling, help, and administrative execution.

How do I get help for a Linux command in the terminal?

Use man command_name, info command_name, or command_name --help. For example, run man grep to read the manual page for grep.

What is the difference between apt and apt-get?

apt is a user-friendly command-line package tool commonly used interactively on Debian-based systems. apt-get is an older command-line package tool that is still widely used, especially in scripts and documentation.

Which Linux command shows disk space?

Use df -h to show available and used disk space on mounted file systems. Use du -sh directory_name to check how much space a specific directory uses.

Which Linux command is used to search inside files?

Use grep to search inside files. For example, grep -r "error" /var/log searches recursively for the word error inside files under /var/log.

Editorial QA Checklist for This Linux Commands Reference

• Verify that each command example uses a valid Linux terminal syntax.
• Check distribution-specific commands such as apt, dnf, yum, pacman, and zypper before applying them on a real system.
• Confirm that commands requiring administrative permission are clearly shown with sudo.
• Review destructive examples involving rm, chmod, chown, shutdown, and reboot for safe wording.
• Keep command descriptions short enough for quick scanning while still explaining the practical use.

Conclusion on Linux Commands

This Linux commands list covers the terminal commands most users need for file handling, text processing, permissions, storage, networking, packages, system monitoring, archives, editors, and system information. For exact options and distribution-specific behavior, check the manual page with man or the help output available on your Linux system.