Linux Shell Commands
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Files and Folders
~
home directory
.
present working directory
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Environment
~/.bash*
files that define the environment
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Interpreters and Compilers
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awk
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C-like stream processing language
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env
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print the environment variables
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sed
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stream line editor
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cd
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change directory
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export
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define and inherit environment variable
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bc
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arbitrary precision calculator language
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pwd
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print path to present working
dir
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set
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set or unset shell options
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python
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MatLab
-like programming language
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ls
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list directory content
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whereis
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locate commands and
manpages
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gfortran
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GNU FORTRAN-Compiler
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mkdir
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create a new folder
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which
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locate commands
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gcc
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GNU C-Compiler
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rmdir
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remove an existing folder
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alias
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define abbreviations for commands
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make
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compiling and processing utility
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rm
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remove files and folders
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function
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more complex abbreviations
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chmod
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change file status
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Print commands
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chown
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change file owner
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Job and Process Control
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echo
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unformatted printout
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ln
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create link to file or folder
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jobs
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list of active jobs in a terminal
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printf
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formatted printout
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cp
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copy
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fg
#
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get job
# to the foreground
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mv
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move
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bg
#
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send job
# to the background
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Online Help
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find
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find
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CTRL–c
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Cancel the job in the foreground
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man
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display manual page (
troff processor)
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locate
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simple version of find
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CTRL-z
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Pause the job in the foreground
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help
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bash command to display help
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du
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print directory usage (file sizes)
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… &
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Start a job in the background
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info
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GNU-related help
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df
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print file system disk space
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top,
ps
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list of processes on a computer
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touch
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change time stamp of a file
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kill
#
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terminate process
#
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Commands
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history
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display
cmd buffer
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File Content
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!
#
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repeat
cmd number
#
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cat
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print file content(s) to
stdout
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Input and Output Redirection
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!
char
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repeat last
cmd starting with
char
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more
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print file content page by page
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…|…
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pipe
stdout to the next command
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A command is often followed by an argument, and its behavior can be refined with options.
The most general syntax is:
command [options] [arguments]
Options typically start with
–
(occasionally
+)
, e.g.,
ls –a –l folder
Most commands have default arguments, e.g., the default of
folder
is the present working directory. Most options (especially flags that require no arguments) can be written together
ls –al
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less
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scroll through file content
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> file
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redirect
stdout to file
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cut
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cut columns from a file
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>> file
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append
stdout to file
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vi, vim
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programmers text editor
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>& file
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redirect
stdout and
stderr to file
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wc
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count
words (lines, characters...)
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2> file
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redirect
stderr to file
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grep
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scan files for certain content
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( … )
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group
stdout and
stderr
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diff
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print differences between two files
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<<END … END
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redirect
…
to
stdin
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sort
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sort lines of files
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tee
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duplicate
stdout and route to file
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head
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print first lines of a files
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tail
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print last lines of a file
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Archives
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tac
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print file content(s) backwards to
stdout
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tar,
gzip ,
gunzip, bzip2
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