🐧 System

Linux Command Line Cheat Sheet

This Linux CLI cheat sheet covers the commands you use most in a terminal: navigating directories, managing files and permissions, monitoring processes, searching text, and checking the network. Search to jump straight to a command.

Navigation

pwdPrint the current working directory

ls -lahList all files with sizes, human-readable

cd <dir>Change directory

cd -Return to the previous directory

Files & Directories

cp -r src destCopy files or directories recursively

mv src destMove or rename a file

rm -rf <dir>Delete a directory and its contents (careful!)

mkdir -p a/b/cCreate nested directories

touch <file>Create an empty file or update its timestamp

cat / less <file>Print / page through a file

Permissions

chmod +x <file>Make a file executable

chmod 644 <file>Set read/write for owner, read for others

chown user:group <file>Change file owner and group

sudo <command>Run a command as the superuser

Processes

ps auxList all running processes

top / htopLive view of processes and resource use

kill -9 <pid>Forcefully terminate a process

jobs / fg / bgManage background and foreground jobs

Searching

grep -rn "text" .Recursively search for text with line numbers

find . -name "*.log"Find files matching a pattern

which <cmd>Show the path of an executable

history | grep <term>Search your command history

Networking

curl -I <url>Fetch just the HTTP response headers

ping <host>Test connectivity to a host

ss -tulpnList listening ports and sockets

dig <domain>Query DNS records for a domain