Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Linux Commands - Cheat Sheet

ls - List Directory Contents

ls - the ls command is used to list the files and directories in the current directory (you can also use the -l flag to show more detailed information, and the -a flag to show hidden files too)

Example of ls being used

[root@zenith ~]# ls
anaconda-ks.cfg  exec_recipe.log  helloworld  recipe_-1.log  recipe_-208.log  recipe_-423.log  recipe_-569.log

Example of ls with -l and -a flags

[root@zenith ~]# ls -la
total 68
dr-xr-x---.  3 root root 4096 Sep 23 10:52 .
dr-xr-xr-x. 19 root root 4096 Sep 20 13:33 ..
-rw-------.  1 root root  367 Sep 23 17:12 .bash_history
-rw-r--r--.  1 root root   18 May 11  2022 .bash_logout
-rw-r--r--.  1 root root  141 May 11  2022 .bash_profile
-rw-r--r--.  1 root root  429 May 11  2022 .bashrc
-rw-r--r--.  1 root root  100 May 11  2022 .cshrc
-rw-------   1 root root   20 Sep 23 10:52 .lesshst
drwx------   2 root root 4096 Sep 20 12:16 .ssh
-rw-r--r--.  1 root root  129 May 11  2022 .tcshrc
-rw-------   1 root root  947 Sep 20 13:23 .viminfo
-rw-------.  1 root root  887 Jan  6  2023 anaconda-ks.cfg
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   79 Sep 20 13:17 exec_recipe.log
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   20 Sep 20 13:23 helloworld
-rw-r--r--   1 root root    0 Sep 20 13:17 recipe_-1.log
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  867 Dec  6  2023 recipe_-208.log
-rw-r--r--   1 root root  907 Sep 20 13:17 recipe_-423.log
-rw-r--r--   1 root root   51 Sep 20 13:17 recipe_-569.log

cd - Change Directory

The cd command can be used to navigate between different directories on the file system.

For example, if you're in /home/zarro/ and want to go to the 'Documents' folder, you can type cd Documents

Tip: Use the ~ symbol to return to your home folder. Example: cd ~

pwd - Print Working Directory

The pwd command can be used to display the full path of the current directory that you're in. 

Example of pwd:

[root@zenith audit]# pwd
/var/log/audit

mv - Move or Rename Files/Directories

The mv command is primarily used to move files from one location to another, but can also be used to rename a file.

Example moving a file:

[root@zenith ~]# mv helloworld kbarticle/
[root@zenith ~]# ls kbarticle/
helloworld

In this example, we have moved the 'helloworld' file from the Root user directory to the 'kbarticle' folder. We can then verify this by listing the directory contents of 'kbarticle/'

Example renaming a file:

[root@zenith kbarticle]# mv helloworld helloworld2
[root@zenith kbarticle]# ls
helloworld2

In this example, we have renamed the file 'helloworld' to 'helloworld2'. We can verify that this has happened by listing out the directory contents to see the new file name.