100 Linux commands you should know in 2024

100+ Linux commands for Ubuntu

Boost your Linux skills with our essential guide to over 100 commands for Ubuntu! Easily explore different categories to find the perfect commands that will save you time and boost your command-line efficiency, making your Linux experience more powerful and streamlined.

Action	Command
Permissions {0 = ---} \| {1 = --x} \| {2 = -w-} \| {3 = -wx} \| {4 = r--} \| {5 = r-x} \| {6 = rw-} \| {7 = rwx}⚡
Repeats the last command⚡	!!
Show current directory⚡	pwd
Delete directory⚡	rm -r [dir]
Create symbolic link to file⚡	ln -s [file] [link]
Open or create a file using the Vi/Vim text editor⚡	vi [file]
Change the ownership of a file⚡	chown [user_name] [file]
Display a built-in manual for a command⚡	man [command]
Search for a package⚡	apt search [package_name]
Installs the package and dependencies⚡	sudo apt install [package_name]
{Colorfull} All running processes⚡	{h}top
Terminate a Linux process under a given ID⚡	kill [process_id]
Show the PID of a process⚡	pidof [process_name]
Connect to the host using a particular port⚡	ssh -p [port] [user_name]@[host]

Action	Command
Halts the current command	Ctrl + C
Stops the current command	Ctrl + Z
Brings to foreground	fg
Sends to background	bg
Logout	Ctrl + D
Erases one word in the current line	Ctrl + W
Erases the whole line	Ctrl + U
Erases from the current cursor position to the end of the line	Ctrl + K
Type to bring up a recent command	Ctrl + R
Repeats the last command⚡	!!
Log out of current session	exit
Clear the terminal screen	clear
Move cursor to the start of the line	Ctrl + A

Action	Command
List content of current directory {with hidden files}	ls {-al}
Change directory	cd [dir]
Change to home	cd
Show current directory⚡	pwd
Create a directory	mkdir [dir]
Delete File	rm [file]
Delete directory⚡	rm -r [dir]
Force remove file	rm -f [file]
Force remove directory	rm -rf [dir]
Copy file1 to file2	cp [file1] [file2]
Rename or move file1 to file2	mv [file1] [file2]
Create symbolic link link to file⚡	ln -s [file] [link]
Create or update file	touch [file]
Places standard input into file	cat > [file]
Output the contents of file	more [file]
Output the first 10 lines of file	head [file]
Output the last 10 lines of file	tail [file]
Display contents of a file page by page.	more [file]
Show the contents of a file with navigation.	less [file]
Open or create a file using the nano text editor	nano [file]
Open or create a file using the Vi/Vim text editor⚡	vi [file]
Display directory size	du -sh
Search for a file	find / -name [file_name]
Show disk usage	df -h
Find recently modified files	find / -mtime -1
Display file type	file [filename]

Action	Command
Display a line of text	echo [text]
Set an environment variable	export
Create an alias for a command	alias [alias-name]='[command]'
Postpone the execution of a command	sleep [time-interval] && [command]
Create a job to be executed at a certain time (Ctrl+D to exit prompt after command)	at [hh:mm]
View the current shell session ID	echo $$
List all running jobs	jobs
Run a command without saving it to history	[command] & disown

Action	Command
Assign an integer value to a variable	let "[variable_name]=[value]"
Export a Bash variable	export [variable_name]
Declare a Bash variable	declare [variable_name]="[value]"
List names of all shell variables & functions	set [variable_name]
Remove an environment variable	unset [variable_name]
Display the value of a variable	echo ${variable_name}

Action	Command
{0 = ---} \| {1 = --x} \| {2 = -w-} \| {3 = -wx} \| {4 = r--} \| {5 = r-x} \| {6 = rw-} \| {7 = rwx}⚡
[Owners][Groups][All Users]	[_ _ _][_ _ _][_ _ _]
Assign read, write, and execute file permission to everyone (rwxrwxrwx)	chmod 777 [file]
Change the ownership of a file⚡	chown [user_name] [file]
Change the owner and group ownership of a file	chown [user_name]:[group_name] [file]
Change permissions recursively	chmod -R [permissions] [dir]

Action	Command
Archive an existing file or directory	tar cf [archive.tar] [file/directory]
Extract an archived file	tar xf [archive.tar]
Create a .gz compressed tar archive	tar czf [archive.tar.gz]
{De}Compress .gz files	g{un}zip [file_name.{gz}]

Action	Command
Display a built-in manual for a command⚡	man [command]
Print the command history used in the terminal.	history
Find files and directories that match the specified pattern in a specified location	find [path] -name [search_pattern]
Search for a specific pattern in a file with grep	grep [search_pattern] [file_name]
Locate all files and directories related to a particular name	locate [name]
Find the source, binary, and manual page for a command	whereis [command]
Connect via SSH protocol	ssh [user_name]@[host]
Connect via SFTP protocol	sftp [user_name]@[host]

Action	Command
Securely copy files between local and remote systems via SSH	scp [file_name] [user_name]@[host]:[remote_path]
Connect to the host via SSH default port 22/23	ssh [host]
Connect to the host via Telnet default port 22/23	telnet [host]

Action	Command
{Colorfull} All running processes⚡	{h}top
Terminate a Linux process under a given ID⚡	kill [process_id]
Terminate a process under a specific name	pkill [process_name]
Terminate all processes with a given label	killall [label]
List processes based on the provided keyword.	pgrep [keyword]
Show the PID of a process⚡	pidof [process_name]
List and resume stopped jobs in the background	bg
Bring (most recent)/(particular) suspended job to the foreground	fg {[job]}
List files opened by running processes	lsof
Catch a system error signal in a shell script. Executes provided commands when the signal is caught	trap "[commands]" [signal]
Pause the terminal or a Bash script until a running process is completed	wait
Run a Linux process in the background	nohup [command] &
Display system uptime	uptime
Show current processes by user	ps -U [user]

Action	Command
Connect to a remote host as a user via SSH	ssh [user_name]@[host]
Securely connect to a host via SSH default port 22⚡	ssh [host]
Connect to the host using a particular port	ssh -p [port] [user_name]@[host]
Generate SSH key pairs	ssh-keygen
Start SSH server daemon	sudo service sshd start