Boost Your Productivity with Essential Linux Commandline Tools | Discover Top Linux Command Line Tools

Are you looking to enhance your productivity and efficiency while working on a Linux system? Look no further! In this article, we will explore the top Linux command line tools that can help you streamline your workflow and accomplish tasks more effectively. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced Linux user, these essential command line tools will undoubtedly boost your productivity and make your life easier.

From managing files and directories to networking and system monitoring, these command line tools cover a wide range of functionalities. We will dive into each tool, explaining its purpose and providing examples of how to use it effectively. By the end of this article, you will have a comprehensive understanding of these essential Linux command line tools and how they can revolutionize your workflow.

Introduction

In this section, we will provide a brief overview of the importance of command line tools in Linux and how they can significantly enhance your productivity. We will also discuss the advantages of using command line tools over graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and highlight the versatility and power of the Linux command line.

1. ls – list directory contents

The ‘ls’ command is one of the most basic and frequently used commands in Linux. It allows you to list the contents of a directory, including files and subdirectories. By using various options and arguments, you can customize the output to suit your needs. For example, you can display file sizes, permissions, and timestamps.

To list the contents of the current directory, simply type ‘ls’ in the command line. You can also specify a specific directory by providing its path as an argument. For example, ‘ls /home/user/Documents’ will list the contents of the ‘Documents’ directory.

The ‘ls’ command is incredibly versatile and can be combined with other commands to perform more complex operations. For example, you can use ‘ls -l | grep .txt’ to list all the text files in a directory.

2. cd – change directory

The ‘cd’ command is used to navigate between directories in Linux. It allows you to change your current working directory to a specified directory. This is particularly useful when you need to access files or execute commands in a different directory.

To change to a specific directory, simply type ‘cd’ followed by the directory’s path. For example, ‘cd /home/user/Documents’ will change your current directory to the ‘Documents’ directory.

You can also use relative paths with the ‘cd’ command. For example, ‘cd ..’ will move you up one level in the directory hierarchy, while ‘cd ../.. will move you up two levels.

3. pwd – print working directory

The ‘pwd’ command is used to print the current working directory. It is particularly useful when you need to know the exact location of the directory you are currently in.

To use the ‘pwd’ command, simply type ‘pwd’ in the command line. It will display the full path of the current working directory.

For example, if you are in the ‘/home/user/Documents’ directory, typing ‘pwd’ will output ‘/home/user/Documents’.

4. mkdir – create a new directory

The ‘mkdir’ command is used to create new directories in Linux. It allows you to quickly and easily create directories for organizing your files and data.

To create a new directory, simply type ‘mkdir’ followed by the desired directory name. For example, ‘mkdir new_directory’ will create a new directory named ‘new_directory’ in the current working directory.

You can also specify the full path of the directory you want to create. For example, ‘mkdir /home/user/Documents/new_directory’ will create a new directory named ‘new_directory’ inside the ‘Documents’ directory.

5. rm – remove files or directories

The ‘rm’ command is used to remove files and directories in Linux. It allows you to delete unwanted files and directories from your system.

To remove a file, simply type ‘rm’ followed by the file name. For example, ‘rm file.txt’ will delete the file named ‘file.txt’ in the current working directory.

To remove a directory and its contents, you can use the ‘-r’ option. For example, ‘rm -r directory’ will remove the directory named ‘directory’ and all its contents.

6. cp – copy files and directories

The ‘cp’ command is used to copy files and directories in Linux. It allows you to duplicate files and directories, either within the same directory or to a different location.

To copy a file, simply type ‘cp’ followed by the file name and the destination. For example, ‘cp file.txt /home/user/Documents’ will copy the file named ‘file.txt’ to the ‘Documents’ directory.

To copy a directory and its contents, you can use the ‘-r’ option. For example, ‘cp -r directory /home/user/Documents’ will copy the directory named ‘directory’ and all its contents to the ‘Documents’ directory.

7. mv – move or rename files and directories

The ‘mv’ command is used to move or rename files and directories in Linux. It allows you to change the location of files and directories or give them new names.

To move a file or directory, simply type ‘mv’ followed by the file or directory name and the destination. For example, ‘mv file.txt /home/user/Documents’ will move the file named ‘file.txt’ to the ‘Documents’ directory.

To rename a file or directory, simply type ‘mv’ followed by the current name and the new name. For example, ‘mv file.txt new_file.txt’ will rename the file from ‘file.txt’ to ‘new_file.txt’.

8. touch – create an empty file or update file timestamps

The ‘touch’ command is used to create an empty file or update the timestamps of existing files. It is particularly useful when you need to create a new file quickly or modify the timestamps of files.

To create a new empty file, simply type ‘touch’ followed by the desired file name. For example, ‘touch new_file.txt’ will create a new empty file named ‘new_file.txt’ in the current working directory.

You can also use the ‘touch’ command to update the timestamps of existing files. For example, ‘touch file.txt’ will update the access and modification timestamps of the file named ‘file.txt’ to the current time.

9. cat – concatenate and display file contents

The ‘cat’ command is used to concatenate and display the contents of files in Linux. It allows you to view the contents of one or more files, either sequentially or simultaneously.

To display the contents of a file, simply type ‘cat’ followed by the file name. For example, ‘cat file.txt’ will display the contents of the file named ‘file.txt’ in the command line.

You can also concatenate multiple files and display their contents together. For example, ‘cat file1.txt file2.txt’ will display the contents of both ‘file1.txt’ and ‘file2.txt’ in the command line.

10. grep – search for patterns in files

The ‘grep’ command is used to search for specific patterns or strings in files. It allows you to quickly find and extract information from large files or directories.

To use the ‘grep’ command, simply type ‘grep’ followed by the pattern or string you want to search for and the file name. For example, ‘grep ‘keyword’ file.txt’ will search for the specified keyword in the file named ‘file.txt’ and display the matching lines.

The ‘grep’ command is incredibly powerful and supports various options and regular expressions for more advanced searches. For example, you can use the ‘-i’ option to perform a case-insensitive search or the ‘-r’ option to search recursively in a directory and its subdirectories.

11. find – search for files and directories

The ‘find’ command is used to search for files and directories in Linux. It allows you to locate files based on various criteria, such as name, size, or modification time.

To use the ‘find’ command, simply type ‘find’ followed by the directory you want to search in and the search criteria. For example, ‘find /home/user/Documents -name ‘*.txt” will search for all files with the ‘.txt’ extension in the ‘Documents’ directory.

The ‘find’ command supports a wide range of options and can be combined with other commands to perform more complex operations. For example, you can use ‘find /home/user -name ‘*.txt’ -exec cp {} /tmp ;’ to find all files with the ‘.txt’ extension in the ‘/home/user’ directory and copy them to the ‘/tmp’ directory.

12. chmod – change file permissions

The ‘chmod’ command is used to change the permissions of files and directories in Linux. It allows you to control who can read, write, or execute a file or directory.

To use the ‘chmod’ command, you need to specify the desired permissions and the file or directory you want to modify. For example, ‘chmod 755 file.txt’ will set the permissions of the file named ‘file.txt’ to read, write, and execute for the owner, and read and execute for the group and others.

You can also use symbolic notation with the ‘chmod’ command to modify permissions. For example, ‘chmod u+x file.txt’ will add execute permission for the owner, while ‘chmod o-r file.txt’ will remove read permission for others.

13. chown – change file ownership

The ‘chown’ command is used to change the ownership of files and directories in Linux. It allows you to transfer ownership from one user to another.

To use the ‘chown’ command, you need to specify the new owner and the file or directory you want to modify. For example, ‘chown user file.txt’ will change the owner of the file named ‘file.txt’ to the user named ‘user’.

You can also change the group ownership of a file or directory by using the ‘-R’ option. For example, ‘chown -R user:group directory’ will change the owner and group of the ‘directory’ and all its contents to the specified user and group.

14. tar – create or extract compressed archives

The ‘tar’ command is used to create or extract compressed archives in Linux. It allows you to combine multiple files and directories into a single archive file, which can be compressed for efficient storage or transmission.

To create a new archive, simply type ‘tar’ followed by the desired options and the name of the archive file. For example, ‘tar -cvf archive.tar file1.txt file2.txt’ will create a new archive named ‘archive.tar’ containing the specified files.

To extract files from an archive, use the ‘tar’ command with the appropriate options and the name of the archive file. For example, ‘tar -xvf archive.tar’ will extract the files from the ‘archive.tar’ archive.

15. gzip – compress files

The ‘gzip’ command is used to compress files in Linux. It allows you to reduce the size of files for efficient storage or transmission.

To compress a file, simply type ‘gzip’ followed by the name of the file you want to compress. For example, ‘gzip file.txt’ will compress the file named ‘file.txt’ and create a new file named ‘file.txt.gz’.

The ‘gzip’ command replaces the original file with the compressed version. If you want to keep the original file, you can use the ‘-c’ option to send the compressed output to the standard output and redirect it to a new file. For example, ‘gzip -c file.txt > file.txt.gz’ will compress the file and create a new compressed file without deleting the original file.

16. gunzip – decompress files

The ‘gunzip’ command is used to decompress files compressed with gzip in Linux. It allows you to restore the original files from their compressed versions.

To decompress a file, simply type ‘gunzip’ followed by the name of the compressed file. For example, ‘gunzip file.txt.gz’ will decompress the file named ‘file.txt.gz’ and restore it to its original state.

The ‘gunzip’ command replaces the compressed file with the decompressed version. If you want to keep the compressed file, you can use the ‘-c’ option to send the decompressed output to the standard output and redirect it to a new file. For example, ‘gunzip -c file.txt.gz > file.txt’ will decompress the file and create a new decompressed file without deleting the compressed file.

17. ssh – secure shell remote login

The ‘ssh’ command is used to establish a secure shell remote login to a remote server or computer. It allows you to securely access and manage remote systems over an encrypted connection.

To connect to a remote server, simply type ‘ssh’ followed by the username and the IP address or domain name of the remote server. For example, ‘ssh user@192.168.0.1’ will establish a secure shell connection to the remote server with the specified IP address.

You can also use the ‘ssh’ command with additional options to customize the connection. For example, you can use the ‘-p’ option to specify a different SSH port or the ‘-i’ option to specify a private key for authentication.

18. scp – secure copy files between hosts

The ‘scp’ command is used to securely copy files between hosts in Linux. It allows you to transfer files between local and remote systems over an encrypted connection.

To copy a file from a local system to a remote system, simply type ‘scp’ followed by the file name, the destination, and the remote host. For example, ‘scp file.txt user@192.168.0.1:/home/user/Documents’ will copy the file named ‘file.txt’ to the remote server’s ‘Documents’ directory.

To copy a file from a remote system to a local system, simply reverse the source and destination. For example, ‘scp user@192.168.0.1:/home/user/file.txt .’ will copy the file named ‘file.txt’ from the remote server to the current directory on the local system.

19. rsync – synchronize files and directories

The ‘rsync’ command is used to synchronize files and directories between systems in Linux. It allows you to efficiently transfer and update files, ensuring that the source and destination remain identical.

To synchronize files and directories, simply type ‘rsync’ followed by the source and destination. For example, ‘rsync -avz /home/user/Documents user@192.168.0.1:/home/user/Documents’ will synchronize the ‘Documents’ directory between the local system and the remote server.

The ‘rsync’ command supports various options for more advanced synchronization operations. For example, you can use the ‘-r’ option to synchronize directories recursively or the ‘-u’ option to update only the files that have changed.

20. wget – download files from the web

The ‘wget’ command is used to download files from the web in Linux. It allows you to retrieve files from HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and other web protocols.

To download a file, simply type ‘wget’ followed by the URL of the file you want to download. For example, ‘wget https://example.com/file.txt’ will download the file named ‘file.txt’ from the specified URL.

The ‘wget’ command supports various options for more advanced downloading operations. For example, you can use the ‘-O’ option to specify a different name for the downloaded file or the ‘-c’ option to resume a partially downloaded file.

21. curl – transfer data from or to a server

The ‘curl’ command is used to transfer data from or to a server in Linux. It allows you to interact with various web services and APIs, send HTTP requests, and retrieve data.

To transfer data, simply type ‘curl’ followed by the desired options and the URL of the server. For example, ‘curl -X GET https://api.example.com/data’ will send a GET request to the specified URL and retrieve the data.

The ‘curl’ command supports various options for more advanced data transfer operations. For example, you can use the ‘-d’ option to send data in the request body or the ‘-H’ option to specify custom headers.

22. top – display system processes

The ‘top’ command is used to display real-time information about system processes in Linux. It allows you to monitor system performance, identify resource-intensive processes, and manage system resources.

To use the ‘top’ command, simply type ‘top’ in the command line. It will display a dynamic view of the system processes, including CPU usage, memory usage, and process IDs.

The ‘top’ command provides various interactive options for sorting and filtering processes. For example, you can press ‘P’ to sort processes by CPU usage or ‘M’ to sort processes by memory usage.

23. ps – report a snapshot of current processes

The ‘ps’ command is used to report a snapshot of the current processes in Linux. It allows you to view information about running processes, such as process IDs, CPU usage, and memory usage.

To use the ‘ps’ command, simply type ‘ps’ in the command line. It will display a list of processes running on the system, including their process IDs and other details.

The ‘ps’ command supports various options for customizing the output. For example, you can use the ‘-e’ option to display all processes or the ‘-f’ option to display a full-format listing.

24. kill – terminate processes

The ‘kill’ command is used to terminate processes in Linux. It allows you to forcefully stop running processes that are unresponsive or consuming excessive system resources.

To terminate a process, you need to know its process ID (PID). You can use the ‘ps’ command to find the PID of the process you want to kill.

Once you have the PID, simply type ‘kill’ followed by the PID. For example, ‘kill 1234’ will send a termination signal to the process with the PID 1234.

The ‘kill’ command supports various signals for different termination actions. For example, you can use the ‘-9’ option to send a SIGKILL signal, which forcefully terminates the process.

25. ifconfig – configure network interfaces

The ‘ifconfig’ command is used to configure network interfaces in Linux. It allows you to view and modify network interface settings, such as IP addresses, netmasks, and network gateways.

To use the ‘ifconfig’ command, simply type ‘ifconfig’ in the command line. It will display a list of network interfaces on the system, along with their IP addresses and other details.

The ‘ifconfig’ command supports various options for configuring network interfaces. For example, you can use the ‘up’ option to activate a network interface or the ‘down’ option to deactivate a network interface.

26. ping – send ICMP echo requests to a network host

The ‘ping’ command is used to send ICMP echo requests to a network host in Linux. It allows you to test network connectivity and measure the round-trip time between your system and a remote host.

To use the ‘ping’ command, simply type ‘ping’ followed by the IP address or domain name of the remote host. For example, ‘ping 192.168.0.1’ will send ICMP echo requests to the specified IP address.

The ‘ping’ command continues sending echo requests until you stop it manually. To stop the ‘ping’ command, press ‘Ctrl + C’.

27. netstat – display network connections

The ‘netstat’ command is used to display network connections in Linux. It allows you to view active network connections, listening ports, and network statistics.

To use the ‘netstat’ command, simply type ‘netstat’ in the command line. It will display a list of active network connections, along with their source and destination IP addresses and ports.

The ‘netstat’ command supports various options for customizing the output. For example, you can use the ‘-t’ option to display only TCP connections or the ‘-u’ option to display only UDP connections.

28. traceroute – trace the route taken by packets

The ‘traceroute’ command is used to trace the route taken by packets between your system and a remote host in Linux. It allows you to identify the network hops and measure the round-trip time between each hop.

To use the ‘traceroute’ command, simply type ‘traceroute’ followed by the IP address or domain name of the remote host. For example, ‘traceroute example.com’ will trace the route to the specified domain name.

The ‘traceroute’ command sends a series of ICMP echo requests with increasing TTL (Time To Live) values. Each hop along the route decrements the TTL value, and when it reaches zero, the hop discards the packet and sends an ICMP Time Exceeded message back to your system.

29. dig – DNS lookup utility

The ‘dig’ command is used to perform DNS (Domain Name System) lookups in Linux. It allows you to retrieve information about domain names, such as IP addresses, mail servers, and DNS records.

To use the ‘dig’ command, simply type ‘dig’ followed by the domain name you want to look up. For example, ‘dig example.com’ will retrieve the DNS information for the specified domain name.

The ‘dig’ command supports various options for customizing the output and performing advanced DNS queries. For example, you can use the ‘+short’ option to display only the IP address or the ‘-t’ option to specify the DNS record type.

30. man – display manual pages

The ‘man’ command is used to display manual pages in Linux. It allows you to access detailed documentation and information about various commands, utilities, and system functions.

To use the ‘man’ command, simply type ‘man’ followed by the name of the command or topic you want to learn more about. For example, ‘man ls’ will display the manual page for the ‘ls’ command.

The ‘man’ command provides a comprehensive overview of the command or topic, including its purpose, usage, options, and examples. You can navigate through the manual page using the arrow keys or the ‘Page Up’ and ‘Page Down’ keys.

31. history – display command history

The ‘history’ command is used to display the command history in Linux. It allows you to view a list of previously executed commands, making it easy to recall and reuse commands.

To use the ‘history’ command, simply type ‘history’ in the command line. It will display a numbered list of previously executed commands, along with their command numbers.

You can also use the ‘history’ command with options to customize the output. For example, you can use the ‘-c’ option to clear the command history or the ‘-d’ option followed by a command number to delete a specific command from the history.

32. grep – search for patterns in files

The ‘grep’ command is used to search for specific patterns or strings in files. It allows you to quickly find and extract information from large files or directories.

33. sed – stream editor for filtering and transforming text

The ‘sed’ command is used as a stream editor for filtering and transforming text in Linux. It allows you to perform various text manipulation operations, such as search and replace, insertion, deletion, and more.

To use the ‘sed’ command, you need to provide a script that specifies the desired operations. For example, ‘sed ‘s/old/new/’ file.txt’ will search for the string ‘old’ in the file named ‘file.txt’ and replace it with ‘new’.

The ‘sed’ command supports various options and commands for more advanced text manipulation. For example, you can use the ‘-i’ option to edit files in-place or the ‘-e’ option to specify multiple commands in a script.

34. awk – pattern scanning and processing language

The ‘awk’ command is used as a pattern scanning and processing language in Linux. It allows you to extract and manipulate data from files or other input sources based on specified patterns and actions.

To use the ‘awk’ command, you need to provide a script that defines the patterns and actions. For example, ‘awk ‘/pattern/ {print $1}’ file.txt’ will search for lines that match the specified pattern in the file named ‘file.txt’ and print the first field.

The ‘awk’ command provides a wide range of built-in functions and variables for more advanced data processing. For example, you can use the ‘NF’ variable to count the number of fields in a line or the ‘printf’ function to format the output.

35. cut – remove sections from lines of files

The ‘cut’ command is used to remove sections from lines of files in Linux. It allows you to extract specific columns or fields from a file or other input sources.

To use the ‘cut’ command, you need to specify the desired columns or fields using the ‘-f’ option. For example, ‘cut -f 1,3 file.txt’ will extract the first and third columns from the file named ‘file.txt’.

The ‘cut’ command supports various options for customizing the delimiter and the output format. For example, you can use the ‘-d’ option to specify a different delimiter or the ‘-s’ option to suppress lines without delimiters.

36. sort – sort lines of text files

The ‘sort’ command is used to sort lines of text files in Linux. It allows you to arrange lines in ascending or descending order based on specified criteria.

To use the ‘sort’ command, simply type ‘sort’ followed by the name of the file you want to sort. For example, ‘sort file.txt’ will sort the lines in the file named ‘file.txt’ in ascending order.

The ‘sort’ command supports various options for customizing the sorting criteria and the output format. For example, you can use the ‘-r’ option to sort in descending order or the ‘-n’ option to sort numerically.

37. uniq – report or omit repeated lines

The ‘uniq’ command is used to report or omit repeated lines in Linux. It allows you to identify and remove duplicate lines from a file or other input sources.

To use the ‘uniq’ command, simply type ‘uniq’ followed by the name of the file you want to process. For example, ‘uniq file.txt’ will report the unique lines in the file named ‘file.txt’ and omit any repeated lines.

The ‘uniq’ command supports various options for customizing the output. For example, you can use the ‘-c’ option to count the number of occurrences of each line or the ‘-d’ option to display only the repeated lines.

38. diff – compare files line by line

The ‘diff’ command is used to compare files line by line in Linux. It allows you to identify the differences between two files and display them in a human-readable format.

To use the ‘diff’ command, simply type ‘diff’ followed by the names of the two files you want to compare. For example, ‘diff file1.txt file2.txt’ will compare the lines in the two files and display the differences.

The ‘diff’ command provides various options for customizing the output and performing more advanced comparisons. For example, you can use the ‘-u’ option to display the differences in a unified format or the ‘-r’ option to compare directories recursively.

39. patch – apply changes to files

The ‘patch’ command is used to apply changes to files in Linux. It allows you to update files with patches or differences generated by the ‘diff’ command.

To apply a patch, you need to have the patch file and the original file. Simply type ‘patch’ followed by the name of the patch file and the name of the original file. For example, ‘patch patchfile.txt originalfile.txt’ will apply the changes from the patch file to the original file.

The ‘patch’ command provides various options for customizing the patching process. For example, you can use the ‘-p’ option to strip leading directories from file names or the ‘-R’ option to reverse the patching process.

40. tar – create or extract compressed archives

41. gzip – compress files

The ‘gzip’ command is used to compress files in Linux. It allows you to reduce the size of files for efficient storage or transmission.

42. gunzip – decompress files

The ‘gunzip’ command is used to decompress files compressed with gzip in Linux. It allows you to restore the original files from their compressed versions.

43. zip – package and compress files

The ‘zip’ command is used to package and compress files in Linux. It allows you to combine multiple files and directories into a single archive file, which can be compressed for efficient storage or transmission.

To create a new archive, simply type ‘zip’ followed by the name of the archive file and the files or directories you want to include. For example, ‘zip archive.zip file1.txt file2.txt’ will create a new archive named ‘archive.zip’ containing the specified files.

The ‘zip’ command provides various options for customizing the compression level and the archive format. For example, you can use the ‘-r’ option to include directories and their contents recursively or the ‘-9’ option to use the maximum compression level.

44. unzip – extract files from a ZIP archive

The ‘unzip’ command is used to extract files from a ZIP archive in Linux. It allows you to restore the original files from a compressed archive.

To extract files from a ZIP archive, simply type ‘unzip’ followed by the name of the archive file. For example, ‘unzip archive.zip’ will extract the files from the ‘archive.zip’ archive.

The ‘unzip’ command provides various options for customizing the extraction process. For example, you can use the ‘-d’ option to specify a different destination directory or the ‘-l’ option to list the contents of the archive without extracting them.

45. ssh-keygen – generate SSH key pairs

The ‘ssh-keygen’ command is used to generate SSH key pairs in Linux. It allows you to create public and private keys for secure authentication and communication between systems.

To generate a new SSH key pair, simply type ‘ssh-keygen’ in the command line. It will prompt you to choose a location for the keys and optionally set a passphrase for added security.

The ‘ssh-keygen’ command generates two files: the private key, which should be kept secret, and the public key, which can be shared with remote systems for authentication.

46. ssh-copy-id – install SSH public key on a remote server

The ‘ssh-copy-id’ command is used to install an SSH public key on a remote server in Linux. It allows you to set up passwordless SSH authentication, making it easier to log in to remote systems securely.

To install your SSH public key on a remote server, simply type ‘ssh-copy-id’ followed by the username and the IP address or domain name of the remote server. For example, ‘ssh-copy-id user@192.168.0.1’ will copy your SSH public key to the remote server’s authorized_keys file.

The ‘ssh-copy-id’ command requires password-based authentication for the first connection to the remote server. Once the public key is installed, you can log in to the remote server without entering a password.

47. screen – multiplexes a physical terminal between several processes

The ‘screen’ command is used to multiplex a physical terminal between several processes in Linux. It allows you to create multiple virtual terminals within a single terminal window, making it easy to switch between different tasks or sessions.

To use the ‘screen’ command, simply type ‘screen’ in the command line. It will create a new virtual terminal and switch to it. You can then run commands or start processes in the virtual terminal.

The ‘screen’ command provides various options and keybindings for managing virtual terminals. For example, you can use ‘Ctrl + A’ followed by ‘c’ to create a new virtual terminal or ‘Ctrl + A’ followed by ‘n’ to switch to the next virtual terminal.

48. tmux – terminal multiplexer

The ‘tmux’ command is used as a terminal multiplexer in Linux. It allows you to create and manage multiple terminal sessions within a single terminal window, making it easy to work on multiple tasks simultaneously.

To use the ‘tmux’ command, simply type ‘tmux’ in the command line. It will create a new session and switch to it. You can then run commands or start processes in the session.

The ‘tmux’ command provides various keybindings and commands for managing terminal sessions. For example, you can use ‘Ctrl + B’ followed by ‘%’ to split the current pane vertically or ‘Ctrl + B’ followed by ‘”‘ to split the current pane horizontally.

49. htop – interactive process viewer

The ‘htop’ command is used as an interactive process viewer in Linux. It allows you to monitor system processes in real-time, view resource usage, and manage processes.

To use the ‘htop’ command, simply type ‘htop’ in the command line. It will display a dynamic view of the system processes, including CPU usage, memory usage, and process IDs.

The ‘htop’ command provides various interactive options for sorting and filtering processes. For example, you can press ‘F6’ to sort processes by CPU usage or ‘F4’ to filter processes by name.

50. ncdu – disk usage analyzer

The ‘ncdu’ command is used as a disk usage analyzer in Linux. It allows you to analyze disk usage, identify space-consuming files and directories, and free up disk space.

To use the ‘ncdu’ command, simply type ‘ncdu’ followed by the directory you want to analyze. For example, ‘ncdu /home/user/Documents’ will analyze the disk usage of the ‘Documents’ directory.

The ‘ncdu’ command provides an interactive interface for navigating through the directory hierarchy and viewing disk usage statistics. You can use the arrow keys to navigate, press ‘d’ to delete files or directories, and press ‘q’ to quit the program.

By utilizing these essential Linux command line tools, you can significantly boost your productivity and efficiency. Whether you are managing files, configuring network interfaces, or monitoring system processes, these tools provide powerful functionalities that can streamline your workflow and help you accomplish tasks more effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Linux command line offers a vast array of tools and utilities that can greatly enhance your productivity. From managing files and directories to networking and system monitoring, these essential command line tools provide powerful functionalities that can streamline your workflow and help you accomplish tasks more effectively. By familiarizing yourself with these tools and incorporating them into your daily workflow, you can become a more efficient and proficient Linux user.

FAQs

1. Can I use these command line tools on any Linux distribution?

Yes, these command line tools are available on most Linux distributions. However, there may be slight differences in syntax or options between different distributions. It is always a good idea to consult the documentation or man pages specific to your distribution for more information.

2. Are these command line tools suitable for beginners?

Yes, these command line tools are suitable for beginners. While some tools may have more advanced features and options, they can still be used effectively by beginners. It is recommended to start with the basic functionalities of each tool and gradually explore more advanced features as you become more comfortable with the command line.

3. Can I automate tasks using these command line tools?

Yes, many of these command line tools can be used in scripts or automated workflows. By combining multiple commands and utilizing shell scripting, you can automate repetitive tasks and save time and effort. It is recommended to learn shell scripting and explore the capabilities of each tool to maximize automation potential.