Linux commands

Quick reference for common terminal tasks. Check a command's options with man <command> before using it on important files.

Task	Command
Show current directory	pwd
List files, including hidden files	ls -la
Change directory	cd /path/to/directory
Create a directory	mkdir -p directory
Copy a file	cp source destination
Move or rename a file	mv source destination
Find files by name	find . -name '*.log'
Search text in files	grep -R 'text' directory
Show disk space	df -h
Show directory size	du -sh directory
Show running processes	ps aux
Follow a log file	tail -f application.log

Use sudo only when a command needs administrator privileges. Review paths carefully before using rm or changing permissions.