ALL BASE COMMAND FOR UNIX/Linux

An A-Z Index of the Bash command line for Linux.

  alias            Create an alias •
  apropos      Search Help manual pages (man -k)
  apt-get        Search for and install software packages (Debian/Ubuntu)
  aptitude      Search for and install software packages (Debian/Ubuntu)
  aspell          Spell Checker
  awk             Find and Replace text, database sort/validate/index
b
  basename   Strip directory and suffix from filenames
  bash           GNU Bourne-Again SHell
  bc               Arbitrary precision calculator language
  bg               Send to background
  break          Exit from a loop •
  builtin        Run a shell builtin
  bzip2         Compress or decompress named file(s)
c
  cal             Display a calendar
  case           Conditionally perform a command
  cat             Concatenate and print (display) the content of files
  cd              Change Directory
  cfdisk        Partition table manipulator for Linux
  chgrp        Change group ownership
  chmod      Change access permissions
  chown      Change file owner and group
  chroot       Run a command with a different root directory
  chkconfig System services (runlevel)
  cksum       Print CRC checksum and byte counts
  clear         Clear terminal screen
  cmp          Compare two files
  comm       Compare two sorted files line by line
  command  Run a command - ignoring shell functions •
  continue    Resume the next iteration of a loop •
  cp              Copy one or more files to another location
  cron          Daemon to execute scheduled commands
  crontab     Schedule a command to run at a later time
  csplit        Split a file into context-determined pieces
  curl          Transfer data  from or to a server
  cut            Divide a file into several parts
d
  date          Display or change the date & time
  dc             Desk Calculator
  dd            Convert and copy a file, write disk headers, boot records
  ddrescue  Data recovery tool
  declare     Declare variables and give them attributes •
  df             Display free disk space
  diff           Display the differences between two files
  diff3         Show differences among three files
  dig            DNS lookup
  dir             Briefly list directory contents
  dircolors   Colour setup for `ls'
  dirname    Convert a full pathname to just a path
  dirs           Display list of remembered directories
  dmesg      Print kernel & driver messages
  du             Estimate file space usage
e
  echo          Display message on screen •
  egrep         Search file(s) for lines that match an extended expression
  eject          Eject removable media
  enable       Enable and disable builtin shell commands •
  env            Environment variables
  ethtool      Ethernet card settings
  eval           Evaluate several commands/arguments
  exec          Execute a command
  exit            Exit the shell
  expect       Automate arbitrary applications accessed over a terminal
  expand      Convert tabs to spaces
  export        Set an environment variable
  expr           Evaluate expressions
f
  false           Do nothing, unsuccessfully
  fdformat    Low-level format a floppy disk
  fdisk          Partition table manipulator for Linux
  fg              Send job to foreground
  fgrep         Search file(s) for lines that match a fixed string
  file            Determine file type
  find           Search for files that meet a desired criteria
  fmt            Reformat paragraph text
  fold          Wrap text to fit a specified width.
  for            Expand words, and execute commands
  format      Format disks or tapes
  free          Display memory usage
  fsck          File system consistency check and repair
  ftp            File Transfer Protocol
  function  Define Function Macros
  fuser       Identify/kill the process that is accessing a file
g
  gawk       Find and Replace text within file(s)
  getopts    Parse positional parameters
  grep         Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern
  groupadd  Add a user security group
  groupdel   Delete a group
  groupmod Modify a group
  groups      Print group names a user is in
  gzip          Compress or decompress named file(s)
h
  hash     Remember the full pathname of a name argument
  head     Output the first part of file(s)
  help     Display help for a built-in command •
  history  Command History
  hostname Print or set system name
  htop     Interactive process viewer
i
  iconv     Convert the character set of a file
  id           Print user and group id's
  if            Conditionally perform a command
  ifconfig  Configure a network interface
  ifdown   Stop a network interface
  ifup        Start a network interface up
  import   Capture an X server screen and save the image to file
  install    Copy files and set attributes
  ip           Routing, devices and tunnels
j
  jobs       List active jobs •
  join       Join lines on a common field
k
  kill       Kill a process by specifying its PID
  killall   Kill processes by name
l
  less       Display output one screen at a time
  let         Perform arithmetic on shell variables •
  link      Create a link to a file
  ln         Create a symbolic link to a file
  local    Create variables •
  locate   Find files
  logname  Print current login name
  logout   Exit a login shell •
  look     Display lines beginning with a given string
  lpc      Line printer control program
  lpr      Off line print
  lprint   Print a file
  lprintd  Abort a print job
  lprintq  List the print queue
  lprm     Remove jobs from the print queue
  ls          List information about file(s)
  lsof       List open files
m
  make      Recompile a group of programs
  man        Help manual
  mkdir     Create new folder(s)
  mkfifo    Make FIFOs (named pipes)
  mkisofs   Create an hybrid ISO9660/JOLIET/HFS filesystem
  mknod     Make block or character special files
  more        Display output one screen at a time
  most         Browse or page through a text file
  mount      Mount a file system
  mtools     Manipulate MS-DOS files
  mtr           Network diagnostics (traceroute/ping)
  mv           Move or rename files or directories
  mmv        Mass Move and rename (files)
n
  nc            Netcat, read and write data across networks
  netstat     Networking information
  nice         Set the priority of a command or job
  nl             Number lines and write files
  nohup      Run a command immune to hangups
  notify-send  Send desktop notifications
  nslookup Query Internet name servers interactively
o
  open     Open a file in its default application
  op       Operator access
p
  passwd   Modify a user password
  paste       Merge lines of files
  pathchk  Check file name portability
  ping        Test a network connection
  pkill        Kill processes by a full or partial name.
  popd        Restore the previous value of the current directory
  pr            Prepare files for printing
  printcap  Printer capability database
  printenv  Print environment variables
  printf       Format and print data •
  ps            Process status
  pushd     Save and then change the current directory
  pv           Monitor the progress of data through a pipe
  pwd        Print Working Directory
q
  quota            Display disk usage and limits
  quotacheck   Scan a file system for disk usage
  quotactl        Set disk quotas
r
  ram          ram disk device
  rar           Archive files with compression
  rcp          Copy files between two machines
  read         Read a line from standard input •
  readarray Read from stdin into an array variable •
  readonly Mark variables/functions as readonly
  reboot     Reboot the system
  rename   Rename files
  renice     Alter priority of running processes
  remsync  Synchronize remote files via email
  return      Exit a shell function
  rev          Reverse lines of a file
  rm           Remove files
  rmdir      Remove folder(s)
  rsync      Remote file copy (Synchronize file trees)
s
  screen   Multiplex terminal, run remote shells via ssh
  scp      Secure copy (remote file copy)
  sdiff    Merge two files interactively
  sed      Stream Editor
  select   Accept keyboard input
  seq      Print numeric sequences
  set      Manipulate shell variables and functions
  sftp     Secure File Transfer Program
  shift    Shift positional parameters
  shopt    Shell Options
  shutdown Shutdown or restart linux
  sleep    Delay for a specified time
  slocate  Find files
  sort     Sort text files
  source   Run commands from a file '.'
  split    Split a file into fixed-size pieces
  ssh      Secure Shell client (remote login program)
  stat     Display file or file system status
  strace   Trace system calls and signals
  su       Substitute user identity
  sudo     Execute a command as another user
  sum      Print a checksum for a file
  suspend  Suspend execution of this shell •
  sync     Synchronize data on disk with memory
t
  tail     Output the last part of file
  tar      Store, list or extract files in an archive
  tee      Redirect output to multiple files
  test     Evaluate a conditional expression
  time     Measure Program running time
  timeout  Run a command with a time limit
  times    User and system times
  touch    Change file timestamps
  top      List processes running on the system
  tput     Set terminal-dependent capabilities, color, position
  traceroute Trace Route to Host
  trap     Run a command when a signal is set(bourne)
  tr       Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters
  true     Do nothing, successfully
  tsort    Topological sort
  tty      Print filename of terminal on stdin
  type     Describe a command •
u
  ulimit   Limit user resources •
  umask    Users file creation mask
  umount   Unmount a device
  unalias  Remove an alias •
  uname    Print system information
  unexpand Convert spaces to tabs
  uniq     Uniquify files
  units    Convert units from one scale to another
  unrar    Extract files from a rar archive
  unset    Remove variable or function names
  unshar   Unpack shell archive scripts
  until    Execute commands (until error)
  uptime   Show uptime
  useradd  Create new user account
  userdel  Delete a user account
  usermod  Modify user account
  users    List users currently logged in
  uuencode Encode a binary file
  uudecode Decode a file created by uuencode
v
  v        Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
  vdir     Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b')
  vi       Text Editor
  vmstat   Report virtual memory statistics
w
  wait     Wait for a process to complete •
  watch    Execute/display a program periodically
  wc       Print byte, word, and line counts
  whereis  Search the user's $path, man pages and source files for a program
  which    Search the user's $path for a program file
  while    Execute commands
  who      Print all usernames currently logged in
  whoami   Print the current user id and name (`id -un')
  wget     Retrieve web pages or files via HTTP, HTTPS or FTP
  write    Send a message to another user
x
  xargs    Execute utility, passing constructed argument list(s)
  xdg-open Open a file or URL in the user's preferred application.
  xz       Compress or decompress .xz and .lzma files
  yes      Print a string until interrupted
  zip      Package and compress (archive) files.
  .        Run a command script in the current shell
  !!       Run the last command again
  ###      Comment / Remark