Linux is a very strong and adaptable operating system that is frequently used for business and personal use. Knowing and being proficient with the fundamental Linux commands is vital for effective system management and navigation, regardless of user experience level. We’ll look at the top 50+ Linux commands in this article so you can become a productivity ninja and master Linux!

Getting Started

Let’s review the fundamentals of Linux commands before delving deeper into the topic. The terminal, a text-based interface for communicating with the operating system, is where commands for Linux are input. Simply use Ctrl + Alt + T on your keyboard to launch the terminal.

Now, let’s get our hands dirty and start exploring the most essential Linux commands!

Navigation Commands

1. cd: Change directory
2. ls: List directory contents
3. pwd: Print working directory
4. mkdir: Create a new directory
5. rmdir: Remove an empty directory

File and Directory Management Commands

1. touch: Create an empty file
2. cp: Copy files and directories
3. mv: Move or rename files and directories
4. rm: Remove files and directories
5. cat: Concatenate and display file content

Text Processing Commands

1. grep: Search for patterns in files
2. sed: Stream editor for text manipulation
3. awk: Powerful pattern scanning and processing language
4. sort: Sort lines of text files
5. cut: Remove sections from each line of files

System Monitoring Commands

1. top: Monitor system processes in real-time
2. ps: Report a snapshot of the current processes
3. htop: Interactive process viewer
4. df: Display disk usage statistics
5. free: Display memory usage statistics

Network Commands

1. ping: Send ICMP ECHO_REQUEST to network hosts
2. ifconfig: Configure network interfaces
3. netstat: Network connection monitoring tool
4. ssh: Secure shell remote login
5. scp: Securely copy files between hosts

Package Management Commands

1. apt-get: Package handling utility for Debian-based systems
2. yum: Package manager for RPM-based systems
3. dnf: Next-generation package manager for RPM-based systems
4. pacman: Package manager for Arch Linux
5. snap: Package manager for Ubuntu Snaps

User and Group Management Commands

1. useradd: Create a new user
2. usermod: Modify user account properties
3. userdel: Delete a user account
4. groupadd: Create a new group
5. groupmod: Modify group properties

File Permissions Commands

1. chmod: Change file permissions
2. chown: Change file ownership
3. chgrp: Change group ownership
4. umask: Set default file permissions
5. sudo: Execute commands with root privileges