Introduction
Linux is a powerful operating system that offers a wide range of tools and utilities for system administrators. Whether you’re managing a server at work or at home, it’s important to have a good understanding of the most commonly used commands.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring some of the essential Linux commands that are useful for maintaining a server at home.
Pro Tip!
I won’t be able to list down all the available options for each command in this article, but don’t worry, if you want to explore all the options for each of these commands then use the man <command_name> and you will find all the necessary information there.
Handling Files
-
ls - List the contents of a directory.
Usage:
ls [options] [file] -
cp - Copy files and directories
Usage:
cp [options] source_file destination_file -
mv - Move or rename files and directories
Usage:
mv [options] source_file destination_file -
rm - Remove files and directories
Usage:
rm [options] file -
mkdir - Create a new directory
Usage:
mkdir [options] directory_name -
rmdir - Remove an empty directory
Usage:
rmdir [options] directory_name
Networking
-
ping - Check network connectivity to a host
Usage:
ping [options] hostname -
traceroute - Display the route taken to reach a network host
Usage:
traceroute [options] hostname -
netstat - Show network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics
Usage:
netstat [options] -
ifconfig - Configure network interfaces
Usage:
ifconfig [options] interface_name
System Information
-
ps - Display information about active processes
Usage:
ps [options] -
top - Display system resource usage and active processes
Usage:
top [options] -
free - Display memory usage information
Usage:
free [options] -
df - Show disk space usage information
Usage:
df [options] -
uptime - Display system uptime
Usage:
uptime [options]
System Maintenance
-
apt-get - Install, upgrade, and remove software packages
Usage:
apt-get [options] package_name -
systemctl - Control the system’s services and processes
Usage:
systemctl [options] service_name -
journalctl - View system logs
Usage:
journalctl [options] -
crontab - Schedule tasks to run at specific times
Usage:
crontab [options] -
ssh - Securely connect to another server
Usage:
ssh [options] user@host
Conclusion
These are just some of the most commonly used Linux commands that a system administrator may use on a daily basis.
Use Linux man pages to dig deep dive into each of these commands and the options to leverage them effectively in your workflows.