Most useful commands in Linux
Discover the essential Linux commands every user should know. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, these must-use commands will boost your productivity and make your life easier.
| Linux Commands | Description |
| touch | Create a new empty file |
| cat | Displays the contents of a file |
| cp | Copy files or directories |
| mkdir | Create a new directory |
| pwd | Print working directory |
| cd | Change directory |
| ll | List files and directories (alias for ls -l) |
| clear or ctrl+l | Clear screen |
| ls | List files and directories |
| whoami | Display current user |
| who | Display logged-in users |
| which | Display path of a command |
| uptime | Display system uptime |
| w | Display logged-in users |
| uname | Display system information |
| last | Display recent login history |
| mv | Move or rename files or directories |
| rm | Remove files or directories |
| rmdir | Remove empty directories |
| vim | Text editor |
| grep | Search for patterns in files |
| find | Search for files based on criteria |
| locate | Search for files by name |
| tail | Displays the last 10 lines of a file |
| head | Displays the first 10 lines of a file |
| less | Displays a file one page at a time, allowing scrolling and searching |
| wc | Counts the lines, words, and characters in a file |
| more | Displays a file one page at a time, allowing scrolling |
| ip | Manage network settings |
| ifconfig | Configure network interfaces |
| ping | Test network connectivity |
| telnet | Connect to remote hosts |
| route | Manage network routes |
| traceroute | Trace network routes |
| nmap | Scan network ports |
| ssh | Securely connect to remote hosts |
| scp | Securely copy files over network |
| rsync | Synchronize files over network |
| nslookup | Perform DNS lookups |
| dig | Perform DNS lookups |
| cal | Display calendar |
| date | Display current date and time |
| hostname | Display system hostname |
| hostnamectl | Control system hostname |
| useradd | Add new users |
| su | Switch user accounts |
| finger | Display user information |
| adduser | Add new users (alternative to useradd) |
| chmod | Change file permissions |
| chown | Change file ownership |
| groupadd | Add new groups |
| passwd | Change user passwords |
| userdel | Delete users |
| usermod | Modify user accounts |
| chattr | Change file attributes |
| sudo | Execute commands with elevated privileges |
| id | Display user and group information |
| crontab | Schedule tasks |
| ss | Display socket statistics |
| lsof | List open files |
| yum | Manage packages (RPM-based) |
| rpm | Manage packages (RPM-based) |
| dnf | Manage packages (RPM-based, replacement for yum) |
| apt-get | Manage packages (DEB-based) |
| dpkg | Manage packages (DEB-based) |
| fdisk | Manipulates disk partitions |
| parted | Manages disk partitions and file systems |
| df | Displays disk space usage and availability |
| du | Estimates file space usage |
| mount | Attaches a file system to a directory |
| lsblk | Lists information about block devices (disks and partitions) |
| free | Displays memory and disk space usage |
| tree | Display directory tree |
| curl | Transfer files over network |
| wget | Download files over network |
| systemctl | Manage system services |
| service | Manage system services (deprecated) |
| tar | Archive files |
| zip | Compress files |
| unzip | Decompress files |
| watch | Execute a command repeatedly |
| top | Display system processes |
| fg | Bring a background job to the foreground |
| kill | Terminate processes |
| ps | Display system processes |
| hdparm | Manage disk settings |
| dmidecode | Display hardware information |
| iostat | Display I/O statistics |
| tcpdump | Capture network traffic |
| dmesg | Display system messages |
| setfacl | Set file access control lists |
| getfacl | Get file access control lists |
| cut | Extracts specific columns or fields from a file |
| sed | Used to find and change text in files |
| awk | Searching and manipulating text in files |
| echo | Prints text to the terminal or a file |
| i/o redirection | Redirects input/output streams to/from files or commands |
| softlink | Creates a symbolic link to a file or directory |
| Hardlink | Creates a duplicate entry for a file on the file system |
| man | Displays the manual for a command |
| help | Displays brief help information for a command |