Mastering the Basics: Essential Linux Commands for Everyday Tasks

Whether you're managing cloud infrastructure, securing servers, or simply navigating a local environment, a solid understanding of Linux commands is essential for any IT professional. This page walks through the most commonly used Linux commands, helping you become more confident and efficient in the command-line interface (CLI).

1. pwd – Print Working Directory

Displays your current location in the filesystem.

2. ls – List directory contents

Lists files and folders in your current directory.

3. cd – Change directory

Navigate the filesystem.

4. mkdir – Make Directory

Create a new folder.

5. uname – Display system information

Displays kernel and OS info.

6. cp – Copy files and directories

First you have to be in the source folder then type cp source.txt destination

7. mv – Move or rename files and directories

In below example, I moved text.txt from root directory to /home/yash directory and then renamed it from test.txt to new.txt.

8. rm – Remove files and directories

rm to remove files rmdir to remove empty directories rm -r to remove non-empty directories rm -rf to remove directories forcefully

9. cat – Display content of files in terminal

10. df -h – Displays disk space usage

With these basic commands, you're already on your way to becoming a confident Linux user. Explore more in the Linux section!