Comprehensive Linux Command Cheat Sheet

Linux provides a rich set of command‑line tools for file management, process control, networking, compression, and more. This guide lists common commands such as cd , pwd , ls , cp , mv , rm , cat , find , chmod , chown , chgrp , grep , paste , sort , comm , tar , jps , kill , killall , top , touch , mkdir , ps , ping , ifconfig , redirection operators, pipes, and cut , together with typical options and example usages.

cd – change directory

Switches the current working directory.

cd ..        # return to parent directory
cd ../..    # return two levels up
cd ~         # go to home directory
cd -         # go back to previous directory

pwd – print working directory

Displays the absolute path of the current directory.

ls – list directory contents

Shows files and sub‑directories.

ls               # list files
ls -l            # detailed view
ls -a            # include hidden files
ls -R            # recursive listing
ls [0-9]         # show names containing numbers

cp – copy files

Copies files or directories.

-a : preserve attributes
-p : preserve mode, ownership and timestamps
-i : prompt before overwrite
-r : copy directories recursively
-u : copy only when source is newer

mv – move/rename files

Moves or renames files or directories.

-f : force overwrite without prompting
-i : interactive prompt before overwrite
-u : replace only when source is newer

rm – remove files

Deletes files or directories.

-f   # ignore nonexistent files, never prompt
-i   # prompt before each removal
-r   # recursive removal of directories
rm -rf   # forceful recursive delete

cat – concatenate and display files

Shows file contents and can concatenate multiple files.

cat file1               # display file
cat -n file1            # number lines
more file1              # paginate output
head -n 2 file1         # first two lines
tail -n 2 file1         # last two lines

find – search for files

Searches the filesystem for files matching criteria.

find / -name file1          # search from root
find / -user user1          # files owned by user1
find /usr/bin -type f -atime +100   # not accessed in 100 days

chmod – change file mode

Modifies read/write/execute permissions.

chmod ugo+rwx directory   # give all permissions to everyone

chown – change file owner

Changes the owner (and optionally group) of a file.

chown user1 file1
chown -R user1 directory1
chown user1:group1 file1

grep – pattern search

Searches for lines matching a regular expression.

grep Aug /var/log/messages          # find "Aug" in log
grep ^Aug /var/log/messages         # lines starting with "Aug"
grep [0-9] /var/log/messages         # lines containing digits

tar – archive and compress

Creates or extracts archive files; supports gzip, bzip2, etc.

-c : create archive
-t : list archive contents
-x : extract archive
-j : use bzip2
-z : use gzip
-v : verbose output
-f filename : specify archive file

Redirection and pipes

Redirect output with > , append with >> , read input with < , and chain commands with | .

ls > file.txt          # write listing to file
date >> file.txt      # append date to file
sort < file.txt        # sort contents of file
ls | grep file          # filter listing

cut – extract columns

Extracts specific fields or characters from each line.

cut -c 1,3 file.txt               # characters 1 and 3
cut -d ':' -f 2,4 file.txt        # fields 2 and 4 using ':' as delimiter
cut -c 1,3 --complement file.txt # all but characters 1 and 3

These commands form the core toolbox for daily Linux system administration and scripting.