Essential CLI commands for navigation, file management, and processes
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
pwd | Print working directory Example: /Users/dev/projects |
cd <dir> | Change directory Example: cd ~/projects |
cd .. | Go up one level Example: cd ../parent-folder |
cd ~ | Go to home directory Example: cd ~ && pwd |
ls | List directory contents Example: ls src/ |
ls -la | List all files with details Example: ls -la ~/.config |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
touch <file> | Create empty file Example: touch index.js |
mkdir <dir> | Create directory Example: mkdir components |
mkdir -p <path> | Create nested directories Example: mkdir -p src/lib/utils |
cp <src> <dest> | Copy file Example: cp file.txt backup.txt |
cp -r <dir> <dest> | Copy directory recursively Example: cp -r src/ dist/ |
mv <src> <dest> | Move or rename Example: mv old.js new.js |
rm <file> | Remove file Example: rm temp.log |
rm -rf <dir> | Remove directory recursively (careful!) Example: rm -rf node_modules |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
cat <file> | Display file contents Example: cat package.json |
head <file> | Show first 10 lines Example: head -n 20 README.md |
tail <file> | Show last 10 lines Example: tail -n 50 app.log |
tail -f <file> | Follow file updates (logs) Example: tail -f server.log |
less <file> | View file with pagination Example: less large-file.txt |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
find . -name "*.js" | Find files by name Example: find src/ -name "*.tsx" |
grep "text" <file> | Search text in file Example: grep "TODO" app.js |
grep -r "text" . | Search recursively in directory Example: grep -r "console.log" src/ |
which <cmd> | Find command location Example: which node |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
chmod +x <file> | Make file executable Example: chmod +x deploy.sh |
chmod 755 <file> | Set read/write/execute permissions Example: chmod 755 script.sh |
chown user:group <file> | Change file owner Example: chown www-data:www-data index.html |