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Linux Basic Commands 1-20 Commands Class 1 basic_linux_commands.md.

# 🐧 Basic Linux Commands — Explained Simply

This guide covers 20 essential Linux terminal commands that every beginner should know.  
They help you **navigate**, **view**, **create**, and **edit** files and folders in your system.

---

## 🧭 1. `pwd` — Print Working Directory
**Meaning:** Shows the directory (folder) you’re currently in.

**Example:**
```bash
pwd

Output:

/home/student/Documents

📂 2. ls — List Directory Contents

Meaning: Displays files and folders inside the current directory.

Examples:

ls
ls -l
ls -a
  • -l → detailed info (permissions, size, date)
  • -a → includes hidden files (those starting with .)

🚪 3. cd — Change Directory

Meaning: Moves you to another folder.

Examples:

cd Documents
cd ..
cd ~
cd /
  • .. → up one level
  • ~ → home directory
  • / → root directory

🏗️ 4. mkdir — Make Directory

Meaning: Creates a new folder.

Examples:

mkdir projects
mkdir -p myfolder/subfolder1/subfolder2

The -p flag creates nested folders.

🧹 5. rmdir — Remove Directory

Meaning: Deletes an empty directory.

Example:

rmdir old_folder

If the folder isn’t empty, use rm -r.

⚠️ 6. rm — Remove Files or Folders

Meaning: Deletes files or folders permanently (no trash bin).

Examples:

rm file.txt
rm -r folder_name
rm -rf folder_name

⚠️ -rf forces deletion — use with caution!

📄 7. cp — Copy Files or Folders

Meaning: Duplicates files or directories.

Examples:

cp notes.txt backup_notes.txt
cp -r folder1 folder2

The -r flag means “recursive,” for copying folders.

🚚 8. mv — Move or Rename Files

Meaning: Moves or renames files/folders.

Examples:

mv file.txt /home/student/Documents/
mv oldname.txt newname.txt

📖 9. cat — Show File Contents

Meaning: Displays the whole content of a file.

Examples:

cat notes.txt
cat file1.txt file2.txt > combined.txt

🔁 10. tac — Reverse of cat

Meaning: Shows file contents from bottom to top.

Example:

tac notes.txt

📜 11. less — View Files Page by Page (Interactive)

Meaning: Opens large files for easy scrolling.

Example:

less bigfile.txt

Use:

  • ↑ / ↓ or Space → scroll
  • q → quit

📄 12. more — View Files Page by Page (Simpler)

Meaning: Similar to less, but older and more basic.

Example:

more longtext.txt

Press Space for next page, q to quit.

🔝 13. head — Show Beginning of a File

Meaning: Displays the first 10 lines by default.

Examples:

head notes.txt
head -n 5 notes.txt

🔚 14. tail — Show End of a File

Meaning: Displays the last 10 lines by default.

Examples:

tail notes.txt
tail -n 20 notes.txt
tail -f log.txt

-f follows updates in real-time — useful for monitoring logs.

💬 15. echo — Print Text or Variables

Meaning: Prints text or variable values on screen.

Examples:

echo Hello World
echo $HOME
echo "My name is $USER"

📘 16. touch — Create Empty File or Update Timestamp

Meaning: Creates a new empty file or updates a file’s “last modified” time.

Examples:

touch newfile.txt
touch file1.txt file2.txt

✏️ 17. nano — Simple Text Editor

Meaning: Opens a beginner-friendly editor in the terminal.

Example:

nano notes.txt

Shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + O → save
  • Ctrl + X → exit
  • Ctrl + K → cut line
  • Ctrl + U → paste line

💻 18. vi — Classic Terminal Editor

Meaning: A powerful but older text editor.

Example:

vi file.txt

Modes:

  • i → insert text
  • Esc → exit insert mode
  • :wq → save & quit
  • :q! → quit without saving

🧠 19. vim — Vi Improved

Meaning: An enhanced version of vi with colors and more features.

Example:

vim script.sh

Common Commands:

  • i → insert
  • Esc → command mode
  • :w → save
  • :q → quit
  • :wq → save & quit
  • u → undo
  • /word → search text

🧽 20. clear — Clear the Terminal Screen

Meaning: Clears everything currently visible in the terminal.

Examples:

clear

or use the shortcut:

Ctrl + L

This simply gives you a clean screen but doesn’t delete any data or history.

🧩 Summary Table

# Command Description Example
1 pwd Show current directory pwd
2 ls List files ls -l
3 cd Change directory cd Documents
4 mkdir Create folder mkdir new_folder
5 rmdir Delete empty folder rmdir old
6 rm Delete files/folders rm -r myfolder
7 cp Copy files cp file1.txt backup.txt
8 mv Move or rename mv file.txt folder/
9 cat Show file cat file.txt
10 tac Show file reversed tac file.txt
11 less Scroll through file less file.txt
12 more View file page by page more file.txt
13 head Show start of file head file.txt
14 tail Show end of file tail -n 20 file.txt
15 echo Print text echo Hello
16 touch Create empty file touch new.txt
17 nano Simple editor nano notes.txt
18 vi Classic editor vi notes.txt
19 vim Enhanced editor vim notes.txt
20 clear Clear terminal screen clear

🧠 Author Notes

Created for Fedora/Linux beginners learning to navigate the terminal. Ideal for classroom teaching or self-learning.

Maintained by: [EFXTv] License: MIT Last Updated: November 2025