Very basic and essential Linux and Cygwin Commands
| Moving around in the file system | |
| Command | Action |
| pwd | "Print working directory" - show what dir you're in |
| ls | List the contents of a dir |
| ls -l | List the contents of a dir and show additional info of the files. |
| ls -a | List all files, including hidden files |
| cd . | Change directory |
| cd .. | Go to the parent directory |
| Examining files | |
| Command | Action |
| file | Determine the type of a file. |
| cat | Concatenate a file. |
| less | View text files and paginate them if needed. |
| Manipulating files and directories | |
| Command | Action |
| cp | Copy a file. |
| cp -i | Copy a file and ask before overwriting. |
| cp -r | Copy a directory with its contents. |
| mv | Move or rename a file. |
| mv -i | Move or rename a file and ask before overwriting. |
| rm | Remove a file. |
| rm -r | Remove a directory with its contents. |
| rm -i | Ask before removing a file. Good to use with the -r option. |
| mkdir | Make a directory. |
| rmdir | Remove an empty directory. |
| Getting Help | |
| man <command> | Format and display the on-line manual pages. E.g. man man |
| <command> --help | Display usage commands and arguments. |
Last Revised: Sunday, September 26, 2004 19:52 (EDT GMT-5)