freeCodeCamp/guide/english/linux/basic-linux-commands/index.md

---
title: Basic Linux Commands
---
## Basic Linux Commands

When starting out with linux, there are some basic commands everyone should know.

 1. **cd** - change directory 
- cd followed by a directory or file path will take you inside that directory(folder).

 2. **ls** - list command
- Type `ls` and the contents of the current directory will be displayed.
- Two common flags used with `ls` are `-l` and `-a`, they can be used together and chained as such: `ls -la`. The `-l` flag will show you files in list order and in long format including a display of permissions, `-a` will show dot type files which are typically hidden in a GUI file finder such as `.env` files
- Flag ordering does not matter, so the previous command could be written as `ls -al`

 3. **man** - manual command
- Shows you the manual for the following command. This is very helpful when trying to figure out how an unfamiliar command works. For example, type `man ls` for everything you need to know about the ls command. Type `q` to exit.

 4. **pwd** - path
- Type `pwd` to display the path to your current directory.

 5. **mkdir** - make directory 
- This command, followed by the name you wish to name your directory, creates a new directory. `mkdir folder1` will make a new directory called folder1.

 6. **rmdir** - remove directory   
- Removes the directory that follows the command. `rmdir folder1` will delete the directory named folder1 if it exists.

 7. **rm** - remove   
- This command removes files, not directories. `rm file.txt` will remove the file named file.txt as long as it exists and is in the current directory.
- **Warning, this command is capable of destroying entire systems, use with caution**

 8. **touch** - creates file   
- The `touch` command is used to create a file. It can be anything, from an empty txt file to an empty zip file. 'touch new.txt' will create a new file with name new.

 9. **mv** - move   
- Use the `mv` command to move files through the command line. We can also use the mv command to rename a file. For example, if we want to rename the file “text” to “new”, we can use 'mv text new'.
- **Warning, this command is capable of destroying entire systems, use with caution**

 10. **right-click** - copy and paste  
- This one is less of a command and more of a how-to, however, it is very useful for doing almost anything in a terminal on linux. To begin, highlight text like normal and then "right-click" on your mouse to copy a selection. You should see the highlighted portion become un-highlighted, this means you copied the selection. Now "right-click" on where you want to paste the selection and you're done. 

 11. **less** - view file content  
- Use `less filename.txt` to view contents of a file and navigate through them. By default, less will go through the file page by page.

 12. **cat** - display file's textual contents  
- Use this command to display text from within a given file on your terminal. Entering `cat myFile.txt` in your terminal will display the contents of the file `myFile.txt` on screen. The `cat` command can be a very handy tool when used with the terminal _pipes_.

 13. **clear** - clear terminal
- Use `clear` to simply clear all output from your terminal.

 14. **cp** - copy files and directories
- Use `cp` to copy a file or a direcotry with files inside it to another location using command `cp CURRENT_FILE-LOCATION DESTINATION_FOLDER`. Add `-r` flag to copy a directory that is not empty. 

 15. **top** - shows the system load
- Use `top` to get information about running processes of your system, the amount or RAM they allocate and the CPU percentage that they use. 'Top' is interactive so do not forget to press `q` when you want to quit.

 16. **df -h** Checks disk space in human readable form
- Shows the size, amount used, amount available and capacity percentage of mounted drives/partitions.

 17. **grep** -  The grep searches any given input files, selecting lines that match one or more patterns.
- use `grep` to find a file, a directory, some text in the file/directory.  
**Example:**
```sh
 $ ps ax | grep -w login
 25291 s000  Ss     0:00.11 login -pf <user>
 25467 s000  R+     0:00.00 grep -w login
 25409 s004  Ss     0:00.04 login -pf <user>
```

### Useful Resources for Practice:
- [JSLinux](https://bellard.org/jslinux/vm.html?url=https://bellard.org/jslinux/buildroot-x86.cfg): Run the terminal inside your browser. Great for practice.
- [LearnShell](https://www.learnshell.org/): Interactive Linux shell (terminal) tutorials.
- [LinuxJourney](https://linuxjourney.com/lesson/the-shell): A collection of beginner-friendly terminal tutorials.