Essential Linux Commands for absolute beginners

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐱 ?

Linux is a powerful open-source operating system known for its flexibility, security, and stability. It is widely used in servers, development environments, and personal computing. The Command Line Interface (CLI) plays a crucial role in Linux, offering greater control and automation over system tasks. Mastering Linux commands is essential for developers, system administrators, and IT professionals. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, learning Linux commands enhances productivity and efficiency. Linux is used in Cloud computing, Robotics, Cyber security tool, web servers and IOT etc etc.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐱 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 ?

Learning Linux commands enhances efficiency, automation, and remote management compared to graphical interfaces. Mastering basic commands helps users troubleshoot issues, manage files, and execute tasks quickly.

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 ?

A terminal is a command-line interface used to interact with the operating system. It runs a shell like Bash or Zsh, which interprets and executes user commands. The superuser (root) has elevated privileges, allowing system-wide changes. Using sudo grants temporary root access, so caution is essential to avoid unintended system modifications.

Here are the commands which you have to go through as a beginner:

1. 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦

   Linux provides several commands to navigate and manipulate directories:

   ✅: ls -l -> Lists files in a directory with details.

   ✅: cd -> Changes the current directory.

   ✅: cd ~ -> Moves to the home directory.

   ✅: pwd -> Prints the current working directory.

   ✅ : mkdir -> Creates a new directory.

   ✅: rmdir -> Removes an empty directory.

   Advanced Directory Commands

   ✅ : ls -lh -> Displays file sizes in a human-readable format.

   ✅ : ls -lR -> Recursively lists all files and directories.

   ✅ : mkdir -p ~/Documents/new-dir -> Creates a directory along with its parent directories.

2. 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

   Managing files efficiently is essential in Linux:

   ✅ : touch -> Creates an empty file or updates its timestamp.

   ✅ : rm -> Deletes a file.

   ✅ : cp -> Copies a file.

   ✅ : mv -> Moves or renames a file.

   ✅ : cat -> Displays the file content.

   ✅ : cat | more -> Displays file content page by page.

   ✅ : head -10 -> Shows the first 10 lines of a file.

   ✅ : tail -5 -> Shows the last 5 lines of a file.

   Editing Files with vi

   ✅ : vi –> Opens a file in the Vi editor.

   📌 : Press i to insert text.

   📌 : Press ESC, then type :wq to save and exit.

   📌 : Use :q! to quit without saving.

3. 𝐔𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

   Managing users is crucial for system security and access control.

   Adding and Managing Users

   ✅ useradd -> Creates a new user.

   ✅ useradd -m –> Creates a user with a home directory.

   ✅ passwd –> Changes a user’s password.

   Modifying and Deleting Users

   ✅ usermod -L –> Locks a user account.

   ✅ usermod -U –> Unlocks a user account.

   ✅ userdel –> Deletes a user.

   ✅ userdel -r – >Removes a user along with their home directory.

   Switching Users

   ✅ su –> Switches to another user.

   ✅ sudo -i –> Switches to the root user.

   User Groups

   ✅ groupadd –> Creates a new group.

   ✅ usermod -G –> Adds a user to a group.

   ✅ groupdel –> Deletes a group

4. 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩

   Controlling access to files is essential for security.

   Changing File Ownership

   ✅ chown –> Changes the file owner.

   ✅ sudo chown -R –> Recursively changes ownership.

5. Changing Group Ownership

   ✅ chgrp –> Changes the file’s group.

   ✅ sudo chgrp -R –> Recursively changes group ownership.

   Modifying Permissions Permissions in Linux are assigned as:

   ✅ Read (4), Write (2), Execute (1)

   Examples:

   ✅ chmod u+x –> Gives execute permission to the owner.

   ✅ chmod g+x –> Gives execute permission to the group.

   ✅ chmod o+x –> Gives execute permission to others.

   ✅ chmod 755 –> Sets full permissions for the owner and read/execute for others.

6. 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬

   Checking and managing network settings:

   ✅ ip addr show / ifconfig –> Displays network details.

   ✅ ifconfig | grep inet –> Shows the IP address.

   ✅ ping google.com –> Tests connectivity.

   ✅ ip route –> Displays the routing table.

   ✅ sudo dhclient –> Assigns a new IP addres

7. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

   Checking Disk Space

   ✅ df -h –> Shows disk space usage in human-readable format.

   ✅ du -sh /var –> Shows the size of the /var directory.

   Unmounting Storage

   ✅ umount /media/USBDRIVE –> Unmounts a USB drive.

   Managing Processes

   ✅ ps –> Displays running processes.

   ✅ ps -e –> Shows all processes.

   ✅ top –> Displays real-time process usage.

   ✅ kill –> Terminates a process by its ID.

8. 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

   Installing and removing software packages:

   Debian-based Systems (Ubuntu, Debian)

   ✅ dpkg -i <package.deb> –> Installs a .deb package.

   ✅ dpkg -r <package.deb> –> Uninstalls a .deb package.

   ✅ apt-get install –> Installs a package.

   ✅ apt-get remove –>Removes a package.

   Red Hat-based Systems (CentOS, Fedora)

   ✅ rpm -i <package.rpm> –> Installs an .rpm package.

   ✅ rpm -e <package.rpm> –> Uninstalls an .rpm package.

   ✅ yum install –> Installs a package using yum.

   ✅ yum remove –> Removes a package.

9. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮 𝐯𝐬. 𝐬𝐮𝐝𝐨

   ✅ su –> Switches users without ending the current session.

   ✅ sudo –> Executes a command as a different user (usually root).

   ✅ sudo -i –> Switches to the root user with a new session.

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬

Mastering Linux commands can significantly boost your efficiency in managing files, users, networks, and processes. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced user, having a solid grasp of these commands will help you navigate and control your system effectively.

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