Linux Terminal CommandsCheat Sheet

Master the command line with essential Linux commands and system operations

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Essential Commands

System Admin

Terminal Ready

1
Basic File Commands

List Files

List directory contents

ls [options] [directory]

basicdailynavigation

Example:

ls -la (detailed list with hidden files)

Quick Tip:

Use -la for detailed view including hidden files

Change Directory

Change current working directory

cd [directory]

basicdailynavigation

Example:

cd /home/user/Documents

Quick Tip:

Use cd ~ to go to home directory, cd .. to go up one level

Print Working Directory

Show current directory path

pwd

basicdailynavigation

Example:

pwd

Quick Tip:

Useful when you're lost in the directory structure

Copy Files

Copy files or directories

cp [source] [destination]

basicdailybackup

Example:

cp -r folder/ backup/ (copy directory recursively)

Quick Tip:

Use -r for directories, -i for interactive confirmation

Move/Rename Files

Move or rename files and directories

mv [source] [destination]

basicdailyorganization

Example:

mv oldname.txt newname.txt (rename file)

Quick Tip:

Use -i for interactive confirmation before overwriting

Remove Files

Delete files and directories

rm [options] [file]

basicdailycleanup

Example:

rm -rf directory/ (force remove directory and contents)

Quick Tip:

Be very careful with -rf, files are permanently deleted

Create Directory

Create new directories

mkdir [options] [directory]

basicdailyorganization

Example:

mkdir -p path/to/nested/directory (create parent directories)

Quick Tip:

Use -p to create parent directories if they don't exist

Create/Update Files

Create empty file or update timestamp

touch [filename]

basicdailycreation

Example:

touch newfile.txt (create empty file)

Quick Tip:

If file exists, only timestamp is updated

Create Links

Create symbolic (soft) or hard links

ln -s [target] [link_name]

intermediateadminshortcuts

Example:

ln -s /path/to/file symlink (create symbolic link)

Quick Tip:

Use -s for symbolic links, omit for hard links

Linux Terminal CommandsCheat Sheet

1Basic File Commands

List Files

Change Directory

Print Working Directory

Copy Files

Move/Rename Files

Remove Files

Create Directory

Create/Update Files

Create Links

1
Basic File Commands