List of basic commands used in linux.
Linux is a family of free and open-source software operating systems built around the Linux kernel. Typically, Linux is packaged in a form known as a Linux distribution (or distro for short) for both desktop and server use. The defining component of a Linux distribution is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name. The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to refer to the operating system family, as well as specific distributions, to emphasize that most Linux distributions are not just the Linux kernel, and that they have in common not only the kernel, but also numerous utilities and libraries, a large proportion of which are from the GNU project.
100+ Linux Commands
Let's see the list of top 100+ Linux commands which are commonly used. This list is helpful for beginners and professionals both.
| Commands | Description |
|---|---|
| alias | Converts complex commands into simpler one. |
| bzip2 / bunzip2 | Compresses a file / Deompress a bzip2 file. |
| bzcat / bzmore | Displays files compressed with bzip2. |
| cal | Displays calendar. |
| cat | It is a multi-function command. |
| cd | Changes current working directory. |
| chage | Sets an expiration date for a user account. |
| chgrp | Changes group. |
| chmod | Changes permission for a file or directory. |
| chown | Changes the owner of a file or directory. |
| chsh | Changes the shell. |
| clear | Clears the terminal. |
| comm | Compares two streams or files. |
| cp | Copies file content from one file to other file. |
| cut | Used to display desired column from a file. |
| date | Displays current date. |
| df | Checks the disk space in system. |
| echo | Prints the typed word on terminal. |
| exit | Exits from the current user group to the last group. |
| export | Exports shell variables to other shell. |
| file | Displays the type of file. |
| find | Finds files for a particular search. |
| gpasswd | Transfers group membership to another user. |
| grep | Filters lines of text containing a certain string. |
| groupadd | Creates a group. |
| groupdel | Permanently removes a group. |
| groupmod | Changes group name. |
| groups | Displays the group name to which current user belongs to. |
| gzip / gunzip | Compresses a file / Decompress a gzip file. |
| head | Displays first ten lines of a file. |
| history | Displays older commands from shell command history. |
| HISTSIZE | Determines the number of commands to be stored in current environment. |
| HISTFILE | Displays the file that contains the history. |
| HISTFILESIZE | Sets the number of commands kept in history file. |
| id | Tells about the user's id in the system. |
| less | Displays file content according to the width of the terminal. |
| locate | Searches a file in the database. |
| ls | Lists all the files of a directory. |
| man | Displays the manual page for the specified command. |
| mkdir | Creates directory. |
| more | Displays one output screen at a time. |
| mv | Renames directories or files. |
| od | Displays a file content in octal format. |
| passwd | Set password for a user group. |
| pwd | Display the current working directory location. |
| PS1 | Change the prompt name in terminal. |
| rename | Renames more than one file at once. |
| rm | Removes a file. |
| rmdir | Removes a directory. |
| set -o noclobber | Prevents file from getting overwrite. |
| set +o noclobber | Allows overwriting in existing file. |
| set -u | Displays undefined variables as error. |
| set +u | Displays nothing for undefined variable. |
| set -x | Displays shell expansion. |
| set +x | Disables shell expansion. |
| sed | Performs editing in streams. |
| sleep | Waits for the specified number of seconds. |
| sort | sorts the content in alphabetical order. |
| su | Allows a user to run a shell as another user. |
| sudo | Allows a user to start a program with credentials of another user. |
| tac | Displays file content in opposite order. |
| tail | Displays last ten lines of a file. |
| tar | Compresses a directory. |
| tee | Puts stdin on stdout and then into a file. |
| time | Displays time taken to execute a command. |
| touch | Creates an empty file. |
| tr | Translates characters. |
| type | Displays information about command type. |
| uniq | Sorts and display multi times repeating lines only once. |
| unset | Removes a variable from shell. |
| useradd | Adds users. |
| userdel | Deletes users. |
| usermod | Modifies the properties of a user. |
| vi | Opens vi editor to write a program. |
| w | Displays who is logged on and what are they doing. |
| wc | Counts words, lines and characters. |
| who | Tells who is logged on the system. |
| whoami | Tells the name of the user. |
| who am i | Displays the line pointing to your current session. |
| zcat / zmore | Views the files compressed with gzip. |
linux
Operating System
- asked 6 years ago
- G John
