[Linux Tutorial] Commands you should know as a Linux user

[7aMoDi]

Hey everyone, hope you’re all doing great!
This is my first post here in the Linux section. Most of you probably don’t know me yet  or maybe you do, but don’t know my background and interests in Linux.

Let me introduce myself:
I’m 7aMoDi from Iraq.
I’m a Network Engineer, Linux Administrator, and a programmer in both Python and C, with over 10 years of experience working with Linux, networking, and programming.

Today, I’m going to walk you through the most important Linux commands you’ll need whether you’re a regular user or someone working in a company managing a server.
These commands apply across all major Linux distributions, whether you're using Debian-based systems, Red Hat based systems, Arch, or anything in between.
I hope you find this helpful and useful in your daily Linux workflow.

 

 

 

Essential Linux Commands Every User Should Know

Linux is a powerful system that relies heavily on the terminal. Whether you're a beginner, developer, or cybersecurity student, these commands are the foundation of using Linux efficiently.
Here are the most important commands every Linux user should know:

 1. Navigation Commands

pwd

Shows your current directory path.

ls

Lists files and directories.

ls -l detailed view

ls -a shows hidden files

ls -lh human-readable sizes

cd

Navigate between directories.

cd /path go to a specific folder

cd .. go back one level

cd ~ go to home directory

 

 2. File & Directory Management

touch file

Create an empty file.

mkdir folder

Create a new directory.

cp src dest

Copy files or directories.

cp -r dir1 dir2 copy a full directory

mv old new

Move or rename a file.

rm file

Delete a file.

rm -r folder delete a folder
Be careful — this command can be dangerous with -r.

 3. Reading & Searching Files

cat file

Display file content.

less file

View and scroll through large files.

head -n / tail -n

Show the first or last lines of a file.

grep "text" file

Search inside files.

grep -i ignore case

grep -r search in directories

 

 

 4. Package Management (Depends on Distro)

Debian/Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pkg
sudo apt remove pkg

 

Fedora / RHEL

sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install pkg
sudo dnf remove pkg

 

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S pkg
sudo pacman -R pkg

 

 5. Permissions & Ownership

chmod

Change file permissions.

chmod 755 file
chmod +x script.sh

 

chown

Change file owner:

sudo chown user:user file

 

 

 6. Process Management

ps aux

List all running processes.

top / htop

Monitor CPU and RAM usage.

kill PID

Terminate a process.

 

 

 7. Networking Commands

ifconfig / ip a

Show network information.

ping site.com

Test connectivity.

curl / wget

Download files or send HTTP requests.

 

 8. System Management

sudo

Run commands as root.

systemctl

Manage system services:

systemctl status ssh
systemctl start ssh
systemctl enable ssh

 

journalctl

View system logs.

 

 

 9. Compression & Archiving

tar

Compress and extract files:

tar -czvf file.tar.gz folder
tar -xzvf file.tar.gz

 

zip / unzip

Handle ZIP files.

 

 10. Useful Daily Commands

clear Or Ctrl + L- Clear terminal screen

history - Show previously used commands

df -hDisk usage overview

du -sh folderShow folder size

whoami - Display current user

uname -a - System information

sudo !! Run last command as sudo