11 Little‑Known Linux Commands That Supercharge Your Workflow

1. sudo !!

When a command fails due to missing privileges, you can re‑run it with sudo !! instead of re‑typing the entire command; !! expands to the previous command.

$ sudo !!

2. python -m SimpleHTTPServer

Starts a quick HTTP server that serves the current directory on port 8000, useful for sharing files locally.

# python -m SimpleHTTPServer

3. mtr

The mtr command combines ping and traceroute functionality. Install it with sudo apt-get install mtr on Debian‑based systems or yum install mtr on Red Hat‑based systems, then run mtr google.com to view the network path.

# sudo apt-get install mtr
# mtr google.com

4. Ctrl+x+e

Pressing Ctrl‑x e in the shell opens the last command in your default editor (vi, vim, nano, etc.), allowing quick edits before execution.

5. nl

The nl command adds line numbers to a file. Example with a file one.txt containing a list of distro names:

# cat one.txt
fedora
debian
arch
slack
suse

Running nl one.txt produces:

1  fedora
2  debian
3  arch
4  slack
5  suse

6. shuf

shuf

randomly shuffles lines from its input. Use it to pick a random file or line, e.g. ls | shuf -n1 selects one entry from the current directory. # ls | shuf -n1 Replace -n1 with -n2, -n3, etc., to select multiple random entries.

7. ss

ss

(socket statistics) displays detailed socket information, often more comprehensive than netstat. Example output shows TCP states, local/peer addresses, and ports.

# ss

8. last

The last command reads /var/log/wtmp to show recent login sessions, including user, tty, and timestamps.

# last

9. curl ifconfig.me

Retrieve your external IP address directly from the terminal with curl ifconfig.me. Install curl via the package manager if it is missing.

# curl ifconfig.me

10. tree

Display the directory hierarchy in a tree‑like format. Example output shows files and sub‑directories under the current folder.

# tree
.
|-- Desktop
|-- Documents
|   `-- 37.odt
|-- Downloads
|   `-- attachments.zip
|-- Music
|-- Pictures
|-- Public
|-- Templates
`-- Videos

11. pstree

pstree

visualises the process tree, showing parent‑child relationships of running processes in a format similar to tree.

# pstree

These commands, while not always covered in basic tutorials, can dramatically speed up everyday tasks for both novice and experienced Linux users.