This Linux commands cheat sheet covers essential terminal commands for files, navigation, permissions, processes, searching and networking — handy for beginners and as a quick bash reference.
Files & navigation
| Command | What it does |
|---|
| ls -la | List files (incl. hidden) in long form |
| cd <dir> | Change directory |
| pwd | Print working directory |
| cp <src> <dst> | Copy |
| mv <src> <dst> | Move or rename |
| rm <file> | Delete a file |
| rm -r <dir> | Delete a directory |
| mkdir <dir> | Make a directory |
| cat <file> | Print file contents |
Permissions
| Command | What it does |
|---|
| chmod 755 <file> | Set permissions |
| chown user:group <file> | Change owner |
| sudo <cmd> | Run as superuser |
Processes & system
| Command | What it does |
|---|
| ps aux | List running processes |
| top | Live process monitor |
| kill <pid> | Stop a process |
| df -h | Disk space usage |
| du -sh <dir> | Size of a directory |
| free -h | Memory usage |
Search & network
| Command | What it does |
|---|
| grep "text" <file> | Search inside files |
| find . -name "*.js" | Find files by name |
| curl <url> | Fetch a URL |
| wget <url> | Download a file |
| ssh user@host | Connect to a server |
| tar -czf out.tar.gz <dir> | Create a compressed archive |
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