Command Line Mastery

Unlock the power of the Linux terminal. Learn essential commands, text processing techniques, and automation skills that will transform your productivity and system management capabilities.

Basic Command Syntax

  • Command structure: command [options] [arguments]
  • Understanding command flags and parameters
  • Man pages for detailed command documentation
  • Tab completion for faster typing

Example Commands

ls -la (list files with details)cp file1.txt file2.txt (copy file)mkdir new_directory (create directory)

File and Directory Operations

  • Navigating file system hierarchy
  • Creating, moving, and deleting files
  • File permissions and ownership
  • Searching and finding files

Example Commands

cd /path/to/directory (change directory)rm file.txt (remove file)chmod 755 script.sh (change file permissions)

Text Processing

  • Viewing and editing text files
  • Filtering and transforming text
  • Regular expressions
  • Piping and redirection

Example Commands

cat file.txt (view file contents)grep 'pattern' file.txt (search text)sed 's/old/new/g' file.txt (replace text)

Automation Techniques

  • Basic bash scripting
  • Loops and conditionals
  • Function creation
  • Scheduling tasks with cron

Example Commands

for i in {1..5}; do echo $i; doneif [ condition ]; then command; ficrontab -e (edit scheduled tasks)
Previous: Linux FundamentalsNext: File System Management

Pro Tip: Terminal Productivity

Mastering the command line is about efficiency. Learn keyboard shortcuts, use tab completion, and explore command history. The terminal is your gateway to powerful system control and automation.

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Ctrl + A: Move to line start
  • Ctrl + E: Move to line end
  • Ctrl + R: Search command history

Recommended Tools

  • zsh: Advanced shell
  • tmux: Terminal multiplexer
  • fzf: Fuzzy finder