Here is a quick list of useful(but by no means complete) linux shell commands
To find out more about a command, at any shell prompt, type
man
"command" or info "command".
| Command | explanation |
|---|---|
| alias | Make different names for commands |
| apropos | search the whatis database for strings |
| at | Runs a program at certain times |
| atq | Lists programs waiting to be run by at |
| atrm | Removes programs from the at queue |
| cat | Concatenates files and print to standard output |
| cd | Changes to a directory |
| chfn | Changes information displayed by finger |
| chmod | Change access permissions of files |
| chown | Change the user and group ownership of files |
| chsh | Change your shell |
| cp | Copy files |
| dd | Copy disk images |
| df | Available free disk space |
| dig | DNS lookup utility |
| dir | List directory contents. |
| dmesg | List startup messages |
| du | Disk space used |
| dump | Used to backup filesystems |
| e2fsck | filesystem checker |
| export | Set environment variables in bash |
| find | Finds files |
| fdformat | Low level format a floppy disk |
| fdisk | Used to create and delete partitions |
| finger | Look up user information |
| free | Information on RAM and swap usage |
| grep | Find lines matching a certain pattern |
| groupadd or addgroup* | Adds a new group |
| groupdel or delgroup* | Deletes a group |
| groups | displays a user's group |
| gzip | Compress and decompress files |
| halt | Shut down system |
| host | Look up host information |
| ifconfig | Used to setup network interfaces |
| info | View info pages |
| init | Change run levels |
| insmod | Install modules |
| iwconfig | Used to setup wireless network interfaces |
| kill | Abort system processes |
| less | Filter for viewing files |
| ln | Create links between files and diretories |
| locate | Locate files that match a certain pattern |
| login | Sign on to system or switch users |
| logout (ctrl+d) | Sign off of current user |
| lpc | Manage printer queue |
| lpq | View printer queue |
| lpr | Print files |
| ls | List directory contents |
| lsmod | View loaded modules |
| lspci | List all PCI devices |
| lsusb | List USB devices |
| make | Compile and maintain programs |
| makewhatis | Build whatis database |
| man | View manual pages |
| mcd | Change to directory on a DOS diskette |
| mcopy | Copy files to a DOS diskette |
| mdel | Delete files on a DOS diskette |
| mdeltree | Delete directories on a DOS diskette |
| mdir | Lists directory contents on a DOS diskette |
| mformat | Format DOS diskettes |
| mkbootdisk | Makes a boot disk :-) ( you did make one right?) |
| mkdir | Makes a new directory |
| mkswap | Setup swap device |
| modprobe | Installs modules |
| more | filter for viewing files and directories |
| mount | access or mount filesystems and devices |
| mv | Move or rename files and directories |
| nano | Text editor |
| netcfg | Network configuration tool (not in all distros) |
| netstat | Displays status of network connections |
| nslookup | Name server lookup tool |
| passwd | Change passwords |
| ping | Check a host on the network |
| printtool | Used to setup printers |
| ps | Display process tree |
| pstree | Displays entire process tree |
| pwd | Displays the present working directory |
| reboot | Reboots system :-) |
| restore | Used to restore a dump backup |
| rm | Remove files |
| rmdir | Remove directories |
| rmmod | remove loaded modules |
| rpm | Manage rpm packages |
| set | Temporarily change environment variables |
| shutdown | Shut down the system :-) |
| startx | Start the X Window system |
| su | Switch to a different user |
| sync | Flush buffered data to hard disk |
| sysinfo | Display system information |
| tar | Create and manage archives |
| telinit | Change run levels |
| top | Display running processes |
| touch | Used to create a file or update it's time stamp |
| traceroute | Displays route of IP packets |
| umount | Unmount filesystems (watch the spelling) |
| uname | Display information about your system |
| unzip | Extract compressed files |
| updatedb | Builds locate's database |
| uptime | Shows how long your system has been running |
| useradd or adduser* | Adds new user accounts |
| userdel or deluser* | Delete user accounts |
| usermod | Modify user accounts |
| vi | Text editor |
| whatis | Gives brief overview of commands |
| whereis | Locate binary, source and manual pages for a command |
| which | Display a program's executable path |
| who | Show the users that are logged in |
| whoami | Show the user that you are currently logged in as |
| xlock | Locks the X Window system |