🖥️ Essential Linux Commands Every User Should Know
Introduction
Linux commands are powerful tools that allow users to navigate the system, manage files, and perform administrative tasks efficiently.
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, mastering these commands will boost your productivity and make Linux feel second nature.
Let’s dive into the must-know Linux commands!
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📌 1. Basic Navigation Commands
These commands help you move around the Linux file system.
✅ Check current directory:
pwd
✅ List files in a directory:
ls -l
✅ Change directory:
cd /path/to/directory
✅ Move to home directory:
cd ~
✅ Go back one directory level:
cd ..
📌 2. File Management Commands
Managing files is a key skill in Linux.
✅ Create a new file:
touch newfile.txt
✅ Copy a file:
cp file1.txt /destination/
✅ Move (rename) a file:
mv oldname.txt newname.txt
✅ Delete a file:
rm file.txt
✅ Delete a directory (with files inside):
rm -r myfolder/
✅ Create a directory:
mkdir mynewfolder
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📌 3. Viewing and Editing Files
To read or edit files, use these commands:
✅ Display file contents:
cat file.txt
✅ View file contents page by page:
less file.txt
✅ Edit a file using nano (simple text editor):
nano file.txt
✅ Edit a file using Vim (advanced users):
vim file.txt
📌 4. System Monitoring Commands
Keep an eye on system performance with these commands.
✅ Check system uptime:
uptime
✅ Monitor real-time system resource usage:
top
✅ Show running processes:
ps aux
✅ Kill a process by ID:
kill 1234
✅ Display available disk space:
df -h
✅ Check memory usage:
free -h
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📌 5. User Management Commands
Handling users and permissions is important for system security.
✅ Check currently logged-in user:
whoami
✅ List all users on the system:
cat /etc/passwd
✅ Create a new user:
sudo useradd -m newuser
✅ Delete a user:
sudo userdel -r user
✅ Change a user’s password:
passwd username
📌 6. Network Commands
Useful for troubleshooting network issues.
✅ Check IP address:
ip a
✅ Ping a website to check connectivity:
ping google.com
✅ Check active network connections:
netstat -tulnp
✅ Download a file from the web:
wget http://example.com/file.zip
📌 7. Archiving and Compression
Easily compress and extract files in Linux.
✅ Create a tar archive:
tar -cvf archive.tar directory/
✅ Extract a tar archive:
tar -xvf archive.tar
✅ Compress files using gzip:
gzip filename.txt
✅ Extract a gzip file:
gunzip filename.txt.gz
📌 8. Package Management Commands
Installing and updating software is different in Linux.
For Debian-based systems (Ubuntu, Debian, Mint):
✅ Update package list:
sudo apt update
✅ Upgrade all installed packages:
sudo apt upgrade
✅ Install a package:
sudo apt install package-name
✅ Remove a package:
sudo apt remove package-name
For RHEL-based systems (Fedora, CentOS, RHEL):
✅ Update package list:
sudo dnf update
✅ Install a package:
sudo dnf install package-name
🎯 Final Thoughts
Learning these essential Linux commands will make you more efficient and confident in using the terminal.
💡 Next Blog: Bash Scripting for Beginners – Automate Your Tasks
Learn More:
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Essential Technical Skills for Aspiring Incident Managers
Understanding the ITIL Framework for Incident Management
Key Roles and Responsibilities in Incident Management
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💬 Which Linux command do you use most often? Share in the comments!
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