Master Linux Commands Instantly with the ‘cheat’ Utility

Linux provides hundreds of commands, each with dozens of options, making it impossible to memorize them all. Traditional tools such as man, help, and info return massive, often unreadable documentation, especially for users with limited English proficiency.

The cheat utility solves this problem by offering a compact, example‑driven cheat sheet for any command. It directly shows the most useful usage patterns without overwhelming detail.

Basic Usage Example

To see a quick reference for netstat, run: $ cheat netstat The output lists common options and even suggests using the newer ss command instead of netstat.

Installation on Ubuntu

Install cheat with a single snap command: $ sudo snap install cheat On first run, it prompts to download the default cheat‑sheet collection; simply press Enter to accept.

Core Commands

Show a cheat sheet: cheat <command> Show help and options: cheat -h Edit a cheat sheet (opens nano by default): cheat -e <command> Remove a cheat sheet: cheat --rm=<command> Search cheat sheets by keyword:

cheat -s <keyword>

Cheat‑Sheet Storage

All cheat sheets are stored under ~/snap/cheat/. The default collection contains 249 files, one per command. To add a new cheat sheet, simply create a file named after the command in this directory.

Advanced Options (excerpt from cheat -h )

Usage:
  cheat [options] [<cheatsheet>]

Options:
  -a --all               Search among all cheatpaths
  -c --colorize          Colorize output
  -d --directories       List cheatsheet directories
  -e --edit=<cheatsheet> Edit a cheatsheet
  -l --list              List cheatsheets
  -p --path=<name>       Return only sheets on named cheatpath
  -r --regex             Treat search phrase as a regex
  -s --search=<phrase>   Search cheatsheets for phrase
  -t --tag=<tag>         Return only sheets matching tag
  -T --tags              List all tags in use
  -v --version           Print version number
  --rm=<cheatsheet>      Remove (delete) a cheatsheet

With cheat, you can quickly look up any command without browsing extensive manuals or searching the web.