Top 60 Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Top 60 Linux Commands Cheat Sheet

Welcome to your comprehensive guide to mastering Linux commands. Linux is a powerful operating system, and its command-line interface (CLI) is a cornerstone of its versatility. This cheat sheet highlights 60 essential commands that can make managing Linux systems much easier.

A. File and Directory Management Commands

1. ssh - Secure Shell, used for secure remote access to a system.
2. ls - List directory contents.
3. pwd - Print the current working directory.
4. cd - Change directory to a different folder.
5. touch - Create an empty file or update the modified timestamp of an existing file.
6. echo - Print a message or the value of a variable.
7. nano - A simple text editor.
8. vim - A more advanced text editor with many features.
9. cat - Print the contents of a file to the console.
10. shred - Securely delete a file by overwriting its contents.
11. mkdir - Create a new directory.
12. cp - Copy a file from one location to another.
13. mv - Move a file from one location to another or rename a file.
14. rm - Remove a file.
15. rmdir - Remove a directory if it is empty.
16. ln - Create a link to a file or directory.
17. head - Display the first lines of a file.
18. tail - Display the last lines of a file.
19. cmp - Compare two files byte by byte.
20. diff - Display the differences between two files.
21. sort - Sort the lines of a file.
22. find - Search for files in a directory hierarchy.
23. chmod - Change the permissions of a file or directory.
24. chown - Change the owner of a file or directory.

B. System Management Commands

1. clear - Clear the console.
2. useradd - Add a new user to the system.
3. adduser - Add a new user to the system with more options than useradd.
4. sudo - Run a command with administrative privileges.
5. su - Switch to another user account.
6. exit - Close the current terminal or log out of the current user account.
7. sudo passwd - Change the password for the current user.
8. sudo passwd [username] - Change the password for another user.
9. sudo apt - A package manager used to install, update, and remove software packages on Debian-based systems.
10. sudo apt update & install - Update package lists and install packages.
11. finger - Display information about a user.
12. man - Display the manual page of a command.
13. whatis - Display a brief description of a command.
14. which - Locate a command and display its path.
15. whereis - Locate the binary, source, and manual page files for a command.

C. File Comparison & Manipulation Commands

1. wget - Download files from the web.
2. curl - Transfer data to or from a server.
3. zip - Compress files into a zip archive.
4. unzip - Extract files from a zip archive.

D. Networking Management & Monitoring Commands

1. ifconfig - Configure network interfaces.
2. ip address - Display IP address information.
3. ping - Test network connectivity by sending packets to a host.
4. netstat - Display network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.
5. ss - Display socket statistics.
6. iptables - Configure and administer the Netfilter firewall.
7. ufw - A user-friendly interface to manage iptables firewall rules.

E. System Information & Process Management Commands

1. uname - Print system information, including kernel name, network node hostname, kernel release, and kernel version.
2. neofetch - Display system information in a colorful and visually appealing way.
3. cal - Display a calendar of the current month or year.
4. free - Display the amount of free and used system memory.
5. df and df -H - Display disk usage statistics for a file system.
6. ps - Report a snapshot of current processes.
7. top - Display dynamic real-time information about running processes.
8. kill - Send a signal to terminate a process.
9. pkill - Send a signal to terminate one or more processes based on their name.
10. systemctl - Control the system and service manager.
11. history - Display previously executed commands.
12. sudo reboot - Reboot the system with administrative privileges.
13. shutdown - Shutdown or reboot the system.

This cheat sheet is a fantastic reference for both new and experienced Linux users. Keep it handy as you navigate the Linux CLI, and you’ll find your efficiency and confidence growing with every command mastered!