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Files & Directories

Basic Commands for Navigation

  • pwd: Show your current directory. pwd
  • cd [directory]: Change directory. cd /var/www/html cd .. # Move up one directory cd # Go back to home directory
  • ls [options] [directory]: List contents. ls -l ls -a /etc ls -lh /home/user/

Managing Files and Directories

  • Create or update a file. touch newfile.txt
  • Make a directory. mkdir new_folder
  • Copy files or directories. cp source.txt destination.txt cp -r source_directory new_directory
  • Move or rename. mv oldname.txt newname.txt mv file.txt /home/user/
  • Remove files or directories. rm unwanted_file.txt rm -r old_directory
  • Create a hard link. ln original.txt hardlink.txt
  • Create a symbolic link. ln -s /path/to/original.txt symlink.txt

Advanced Navigation Techniques

  • find [directory] [criteria]: Find files or directories. find /home/user/ -name "*.txt"
  • grep [options] [pattern] [files]: Search inside files. grep "search term" file.txt grep -ri "search term" /home/user/

Quick Tips Example Commands

  • Navigating efficiently: Switch back to the last directory. cd -
  • Autocompletion: Start typing and press Tab to autocomplete.
  • Wildcards: List all .txt files ls *.txt