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Linux / Bash Command Cheat Sheet

Comprehensive Linux and Bash command cheat sheet. Search 80+ essential commands with examples, descriptions, and one-click copy.

ls
List directory contents
Example:ls -la /home/user
ls -la
List all files including hidden, with details
Example:ls -la ~/Documents
cd
Change directory
Example:cd /var/log
pwd
Print working directory path
Example:pwd
mkdir
Create a new directory
Example:mkdir -p /tmp/mydir/subdir
rm
Remove files or directories
Example:rm -rf /tmp/oldfiles
cp
Copy files or directories
Example:cp -r /src/dir /dst/dir
mv
Move or rename files/directories
Example:mv oldname.txt newname.txt
touch
Create an empty file or update timestamp
Example:touch newfile.txt
find
Search for files in a directory hierarchy
Example:find /home -name '*.log' -mtime -7
locate
Find files by name using a prebuilt database
Example:locate nginx.conf
ln
Create hard or symbolic links
Example:ln -s /path/to/target /path/to/link
df
Report disk space usage of file systems
Example:df -h
du
Estimate file space usage
Example:du -sh /var/log/*
stat
Display file or file system status
Example:stat /etc/passwd
file
Determine file type
Example:file /usr/bin/bash
cat
Concatenate and display file contents
Example:cat /etc/hosts
less
View file content one screen at a time
Example:less /var/log/syslog
more
View file content page by page
Example:more /etc/passwd
head
Output the first part of a file
Example:head -n 20 /var/log/auth.log
tail
Output the last part of a file
Example:tail -f /var/log/syslog
grep
Search text using patterns
Example:grep -rn 'error' /var/log/
sed
Stream editor for filtering and transforming text
Example:sed 's/old/new/g' file.txt
awk
Pattern scanning and text processing language
Example:awk '{print $1, $3}' access.log
sort
Sort lines of text files
Example:sort -k2 -n data.txt
uniq
Report or omit repeated lines
Example:sort file.txt | uniq -c
wc
Print newline, word, and byte counts
Example:wc -l /etc/passwd
cut
Remove sections from each line of files
Example:cut -d: -f1 /etc/passwd
tr
Translate or delete characters
Example:echo 'hello' | tr 'a-z' 'A-Z'
echo
Display a line of text
Example:echo "Hello, World!"
printf
Format and print data
Example:printf "%s\t%d\n" name 42
diff
Compare files line by line
Example:diff file1.txt file2.txt
tee
Read from stdin and write to stdout and files
Example:ls | tee output.txt
ps
Report a snapshot of current processes
Example:ps aux | grep nginx
top
Display Linux processes in real time
Example:top -u www-data
htop
Interactive process viewer (ncurses-based)
Example:htop
kill
Send a signal to a process
Example:kill -9 1234
killall
Kill processes by name
Example:killall firefox
bg
Resume a suspended job in the background
Example:bg %1
fg
Bring a job to the foreground
Example:fg %1
jobs
List active jobs in the current shell
Example:jobs -l
nohup
Run a command immune to hangups
Example:nohup ./script.sh &
nice
Run a command with modified scheduling priority
Example:nice -n 10 ./heavy_task.sh
systemctl
Control the systemd system and service manager
Example:systemctl restart nginx
service
Run a System V init script
Example:service apache2 status
ping
Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST to network hosts
Example:ping -c 4 google.com
curl
Transfer data from or to a server
Example:curl -L -o file.zip https://example.com/file.zip
wget
Non-interactive network downloader
Example:wget -q https://example.com/file.tar.gz
ssh
OpenSSH remote login client
Example:ssh -i ~/.ssh/key.pem user@host
scp
Secure copy files between hosts
Example:scp user@host:/path/file.txt ./local/
rsync
Remote file copying tool with delta transfer
Example:rsync -avz /src/ user@host:/dst/
netstat
Print network connections and routing tables
Example:netstat -tulpn
ss
Utility to investigate sockets
Example:ss -tulwn
ifconfig
Configure a network interface
Example:ifconfig eth0
ip
Show and manipulate routing, devices, and tunnels
Example:ip addr show
nmap
Network exploration tool and port scanner
Example:nmap -sV 192.168.1.0/24
dig
DNS lookup utility
Example:dig +short A google.com
nslookup
Query Internet name servers interactively
Example:nslookup example.com
chmod
Change file mode bits (permissions)
Example:chmod 755 script.sh
chown
Change file owner and group
Example:chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www
chgrp
Change group ownership
Example:chgrp developers project/
sudo
Execute a command as another user (superuser)
Example:sudo systemctl restart nginx
su
Change user ID or become superuser
Example:su - postgres
passwd
Change user password
Example:passwd username
umask
Set or display the file mode creation mask
Example:umask 022
id
Print user and group information
Example:id username
whoami
Print the current effective user name
Example:whoami
groups
Print the groups a user is in
Example:groups username
tar
Archive files using tape archive format
Example:tar -czvf archive.tar.gz /path/to/dir
tar -x
Extract files from a tar archive
Example:tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz -C /target/
gzip
Compress files using GNU zip
Example:gzip -9 large_file.log
gunzip
Decompress gzip compressed files
Example:gunzip archive.tar.gz
zip
Package and compress files into a ZIP archive
Example:zip -r output.zip /path/to/dir
unzip
Extract files from a ZIP archive
Example:unzip archive.zip -d /target/
bzip2
Compress files using bzip2 algorithm
Example:bzip2 -z large_file.txt
xz
Compress files using the XZ algorithm
Example:xz -z -9 file.txt
uname
Print system information
Example:uname -a
uptime
Tell how long the system has been running
Example:uptime
free
Display amount of free and used memory
Example:free -h
lscpu
Display information about the CPU architecture
Example:lscpu
lsblk
List information about block devices
Example:lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT
lspci
List all PCI devices
Example:lspci -v | grep VGA
dmesg
Print or control the kernel ring buffer
Example:dmesg | tail -50
journalctl
Query and display messages from the journal
Example:journalctl -u nginx --since '1 hour ago'
history
Display the command history list
Example:history | grep docker
env
Print environment variables
Example:env | grep PATH
if / then / fi
Conditional execution in shell scripts
Example:if [ -f file.txt ]; then echo exists; fi
for
Loop over a list of items
Example:for i in 1 2 3; do echo $i; done
while
Execute commands while a condition is true
Example:while read line; do echo $line; done < file
case
Multi-branch conditional matching pattern
Example:case "$var" in a) echo A;; b) echo B;; esac
function
Define a shell function
Example:greet() { echo "Hello, $1!"; }; greet World
export
Set environment variables for child processes
Example:export MY_VAR=value
source
Execute commands from a file in current shell
Example:source ~/.bashrc
alias
Create an alias for a command
Example:alias ll='ls -la'
cron / crontab
Schedule commands to run periodically
Example:crontab -e # 0 * * * * /path/to/script.sh
at
Execute commands at a specified time
Example:echo 'ls /tmp' | at 14:30

About This Tool

A comprehensive quick-reference guide for linux bash. Browse commonly used commands, syntax, and examples organized by category. Searchable and mobile-friendly — bookmark this page for instant access when you need a quick reminder.

How to Use

  1. Browse the categorized reference sections.
  2. Use the search bar to find specific commands or syntax.
  3. Click on any entry to see usage examples and explanations.
  4. Copy commands directly for use in your terminal or editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this reference up to date?
The reference covers widely-used commands and syntax that are stable across versions. For the latest additions or version-specific features, check the official documentation.
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Is this comprehensive or just the basics?
It covers the most commonly used commands and patterns that handle 90% of everyday tasks. For niche or advanced features, consult the official documentation.
Can I suggest additions?
We regularly update our references. If you notice missing commands or have suggestions, let us know through our contact page.