Unix commands, explained plainly
Short, accurate references for the 50 commands people reach for most: the syntax, the options that matter, and examples you can copy.
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Files and folders
- cdChange the current directory
- cpCopy files and directories
- dfShow free and used space on disks
- duShow how much disk space files and folders use
- fileIdentify what type a file is
- findSearch for files by name, type, age or size
- lnMake links between files
- lsList directory contents
- mkdirMake directories
- mvMove or rename files and directories
- pwdPrint the current working directory
- rmRemove files and directories
- touchCreate empty files or change file timestamps
- treeShow folders and files as an indented tree
Text
- awkProcess text by fields and patterns
- catPrint and join files
- cutExtract columns from each line
- grepSearch text for lines that match a pattern
- headShow the first lines of a file
- lessPage through a file one screen at a time
- sedFind, replace and edit text in a stream
- sortSort lines of text
- tailShow the last lines of a file
- uniqReport or filter repeated lines
- wcCount lines, words and bytes
Permissions
- chmodChange file permissions
- chownChange file owner and group
- sudoRun a command as another user
- umaskSet default permissions for new files
Processes
- crontabSchedule commands to run automatically
- killSend a signal to a process
- nohupRun a command that survives logout
- psShow a snapshot of running processes
- topWatch running processes update live
- watchRun a command repeatedly and show its output
Network
- curlTransfer data to or from a URL
- digLook up DNS records
- pingTest whether a host is reachable
- scpCopy files between machines over SSH
- sshLog in to or run commands on a remote machine
- wgetDownload files from the web
Archives
- gzipCompress and decompress files
- tarBundle and unbundle files into archives
- unzipExtract files from a zip archive
- zipPackage and compress files into a zip archive
Shell and system
- historyShow the commands you ran before
- manRead the manual page for a command
- teeCopy input to a file and to the screen
- whichShow where a command is located
- xargsBuild commands from standard input