GNU/Linux most wanted Displaying file contents Comparing 2 directories:

diff -r dir1 dir2

tar jcvf archive.tar.bz2 dir
tar Jcvf archive.tar.xz dir
Misc commands
Concatenate and display file contents: tar --lzma -cvf archive.tar.lzma Basic command-line calculator
Summary of most useful commands cat file1 file2 Looking for files bc -l
Test (list) a compressed archive:
Display the contents of several files (stopping Find all files in the current (.) directory and its
©Copyright 2017-2005, Free Electrons.
at each page):
tar tvf archive.tar.[gz|bz2|lzma|xz] Basic system administration
Free to share under the terms of the Creative Commons subdirectories with log in their name:
Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license more file1 file2 find . -name “*log*” Extract the contents of a compressed archive: Change the owner and group of a directory and
(http://creativecommons.org) less file1 file2 (better: extra features) tar xvf archive.tar.[gz|bz2|lzma|xz] all its contents:
Find all the .pdf files in dir and subdirectories sudo chown -R newuser.newgroup dir
Electronic version, sources, translations and updates: Display the first 10 lines of a file: and run a command on each: tar options:
http://free-electrons.com/doc/legacy/command-line/ head -10 file c: create Reboot the machine in 5 minutes:
find . -name “*.pdf” -exec xpdf {} ';'
t: test sudo shutdown -r +5
Thanks to Michel Blanc, Hermann J. Beckers and Thierry Display the last 10 lines of a file:
Grellier. Quick system-wide file search by pattern x: extract
tail -10 file (caution: index based, misses new files): Shutdown the machine now:
j: on the fly bzip2 (un)compression sudo shutdown -h now
Latest update: Feb 8, 2017 locate “*pub*” J: on the fly xz (un)compression
File name pattern matching z: on the fly gzip (un)compression Display all available network interfaces:
Handling files and directories Concatenate all “regular” files: Redirecting command output ifconfig -a
cat * Handling zip archives
Create a directory: Redirect command output to a file: Assign an IP address to a network interface:
zip -r archive.zip <files> (create)
mkdir dir Concatenate all “hidden” files: ls *.png > image_files sudo ifconfig eth0 207.46.130.108
unzip -t archive.zip (test / list)
Create nested directories: cat .* Append command output to an existing file: unzip archive.zip (extract) Bring down a network interface:
mkdir -p dir1/dir2 Concatenate all files ending with .log: ls *.jpg >> image_files sudo ifconfig eth0 down
cat *.log Redirect command output to the input of
Printing
Changing directories: Define a default gateway for packets to
cd newdir List “regular” files with bug in their name: another command: Send PostScript or text files to queue: machines outside the local network:
cd .. (parent directory) cat *.log | grep error lpr -Pqueue f1.ps f2.txt (local printer) sudo route add default gw 192.168.0.1
ls *bug*
cd - (previous directory)
List all “regular” files ending with . and a Job control List all the print jobs in queue: Delete the default route:
cd (home directory)
single character: lpq -Pqueue sudo route del default
cd ~bill (home directory of user bill) Show all running processes:
ls *.? Cancel a print job number in queue:
Print the working (current) directory: ps -ef Test networking with another machine:
cancel 123 queue ping 207.46.130.108
pwd Handling file contents Live hit-parade of processes (press P, M, T: sort
by Processor, Memory or Time usage): Print a PDF file: Create or remove partitions on the first IDE
Copy a file to another: Show only the lines in a file containing a given
top pdf2ps doc.pdf hard disk:
cp source_file dest_file substring: lpr doc.ps fdisk /dev/hda1
grep substring file Send a termination signal to a process:
Copy files to a directory:
cp file1 file2 dir kill <pid> (number found in ps output) View a PostScript file: Create (format) an ext3 filesystem:
Case insensitive search: ps2pdf doc.ps mkfs.ext3 /dev/hda1
grep -i substring file Have the kernel kill a process: xpdf doc.pdf
Copy directories recursively:
cp -r source_dir dest_dir kill -9 <pid> Create (format) a FAT32 filesystem:
Showing all the lines but the ones containing a mkfs.vfat -v -F 32 /dev/hda2
rsync -a source_dir/ dest_dir/ substring: Kill all processes (at least all user ones): User management
grep -v substring file kill -9 -1 List users logged on the system: Mount a formatted partition:
Create a symbolic link:
ln -s linked_file link who mkdir /mnt/usbdisk (just do it once)
Search through all the files in a directory: Kill a graphical application: sudo mount /dev/uba1 /mnt/usbdisk
grep -r substring dir xkill (click on the program window to kill) Show which user I am logged as:
Rename a file, link or directory:
mv source_file dest_file whoami Mount a filesystem image (loop device):
Sort lines in a given file:
sort file File and partition sizes Show which groups user belongs to:
sudo mount -o loop fs.img /mnt/fs
Remove files or links:
rm file1 file2 Show the total size on disk of files or groups user Unmount a filesystem:
Sort lines, only display duplicate ones once:
directories (disk usage): sudo umount /mnt/usbdisk
sort -u file (unique) Tell more information about user:
Remove empty directories: du -sh dir1 dir2 file1 file2
rmdir dir finger user Check the system kernel version:
Changing file access rights Number of bytes, words and lines in file: uname -a
Remove non-empty directories: wc file (word count) Switch to user hulk:
rm -rf dir Add write permissions to the current user: su - hulk
chmod u+w file Show the size, total space and free space of the
Switch to super user (root):
Listing files Add read permissions to users in the file group: current partition:
su - (switch user)
chmod g+r file df -h .
List all “regular” files (not starting with .) in su (keep same directory and environment)
the current directory: Add execute permissions to other users: Display these info for all partitions:
ls chmod o+x file df -h Time management
Display a long listing: Add read + write permissions to all users: Compressing Wait for 60 seconds:
ls -l chmod a+rw file sleep 60
Compress a file:
List all the files in the current directory, Make executable files executable by all: gzip file (.gz format) Show the current date:
including “hidden” ones (starting with .): chmod a+rX * bzip2 file (.bz2 format, better) date
ls -a lzma file (.lzma format, best compression)
Make the whole directory and its contents Count the time taken by a command:
List by time (most recent files first): accessible by all users: xz file (.xz format, best for code) time find_charming_prince -cute -rich
ls -t chmod -R a+rX dir (recursive) Uncompress a file:
List by size (biggest files first) gunzip file.gz Command help
ls -S Comparing files and directories bunzip2 file.bz2 Basic help (works for most commands):
unlzma file.lzma grep --help
Comparing 2 files:
List with a reverse sort order: unxz file.xz
diff file1 file2
ls -r Access the full manual page of a command:
Long list with most recent files last:
Comparing 2 files (graphical): Archiving man grep
gvimdiff file1 file2
ls -ltr Create a compressed archive (tape archive):
tkdiff file1 file2
meld file1 file2 tar zcvf archive.tar.gz dir