Essential Linux Commands Cheat Sheet You Should Bookmark

Why Linux matters

Linux is the most widely deployed server operating system. Built on Unix, it is open‑source, stable and secure, giving it a high market share and making it the preferred environment for running program code. Linux can also run on many hardware devices such as phones and routers; Android’s lowest layer runs on Linux.

Linux directory structure

bin : binary executable files

sbin : system binaries, accessible only to root

etc : system configuration files

usr : shared system resources

home : root of user files

root : super‑user home directory

dev : device files

lib : shared libraries and kernel modules

mnt : mount points for temporary filesystems

boot : files needed for system boot

tmp : temporary files

var : variable data that changes at runtime

Command format

Commands follow the pattern command -options arguments. Options and arguments may be omitted. For example:

ls -la /usr

File and directory operations

The article presents a series of commands for creating, moving, copying and deleting files and directories (illustrated with screenshots).

System common commands

A collection of frequently used system commands is shown (e.g., listing files, changing directories, viewing file contents), accompanied by visual examples.

Compression and decompression

Typical commands for compressing and extracting archives are displayed, helping users handle tar, gzip, zip and similar formats.

File permission handling

Linux file permissions are explained using symbolic and numeric notation. Permissions are represented by r (read), w (write), x (execute) and can be expressed numerically (e.g., 764). The first character indicates file type ( d for directory, - for regular file, l for link). The next three groups of bits correspond to user ( u), group ( g) and other ( o) permissions, while a denotes all.

Vim editor

Vi/Vim is the most powerful and widely used text editor on Linux, operating entirely via commands without a graphical menu. An image shows the mode‑switching diagram.

4.1 Modify text

Basic editing commands such as insert, append, change and delete are illustrated.

4.2 Navigation commands

Key shortcuts for moving the cursor, searching within a file, and jumping to specific lines are presented.

4.3 Replace and cancel commands

Commands for substituting text patterns and aborting operations are shown.

4.4 Delete commands

Various ways to delete characters, words, lines, or blocks are demonstrated.

4.5 Common shortcuts

A summary of frequently used Vim shortcuts (e.g., saving, quitting, undo/redo) is provided.

Original source: https://blog.csdn.net/xulong_08/article/details/81463054