UNIX / LINUX OVERVIEW

Below is a listing of each of the Unix / Linux commands currently listed on Computer Hope and a brief
explanation of what each of the commands do. The following commands are all the Unix / Linux
commands, which means not all the below commands will wor in your distribution of Unix / Linux and
may also not wor because of your pri!ileges.
COMMAND DESCRIPTION

a"p Creates a #erl script from a aw script.

alias Create a name for another command or long command string.

ac #rints statistics about users$ connect time.

ar %aintain portable archi!e or library.

arch &isplay the architecture of the current host.

as 'n assembler.

at Command scheduler.

aw 'w script processing program.

basename &eletes any specified prefix from a string.

bash Command Bourne interpreter

bc Calculator.

bdiff Compare large files.

bfs (ditor for large files.

bg Continues a program running in the bacground.

biff (nable / disable incoming mail notifications.

brea Brea out of while, for, foreach, or until loop.

bs Battleship game.

bye 'lias often used for the exit command.

cal Calendar

calendar &isplay appointments and reminders.

cancel Cancels a print )ob.

cat *iew and/or modify a file.

cc C compiler.

cd Change directory.

chdir Change directory.

chece+ Language processors to assist in describing e+uations.

checnr Chec nroff and troff files for any errors.

chfn %odify your own information or if super user or root modify another users information.

chgrp Change a groups access to a file or directory.

chey Change the secure ,#C ey pair.

chmod Change the permission of a file.

chown Change the ownership of a file.

chsh Change login shell.

csum &isplay and calculate a C,C for files.

clear Clears screen.

cls 'lias often used to clear a screen.

cmp Compare files.

col ,e!erse line-feeds filter.

comm Compare files and select or re)ect lines that are common.

compress Compress files on a computer.

continue Brea out of while, for, foreach, or until loop.

copy Copy files.

cp Copy files.

cpio Creates archi!ed C#./ files.

crontab Create and list files that you wish to run on a regular schedule.

csh (xecute the C shell command interpreter

csplit 0plit files based on context.

ctags Create a tag file for use with ex and !i.

cuCalls or connects to another U1.2 system, terminal or non-U1.2 system.

cut Cut out selected fields of each line of a file.

dateTells you the date and time in U1.2.

dc 'n arbitrary precision arithmetic pacage.

df &isplay the a!ailable dis space for each mount.

deroff ,emo!es nroff/troff, tbl, and e+n constructs.

diff&isplays two files and prints the lines that are different.

dircmpLists the different files when comparing directories.

dpost Translates files created by troff into #ost0cript.

duTells you how much space a file occupies.

echo &isplays text after echo to the terminal.

ed Line oriented file editor.

edit Text editor.

egrep 0earch a file for a pattern using full regular expressions.

elm #rogram command used to send and recei!e e-mail.

emacs Text editor.

enable (nables / &isables L# printers.

en!&isplays en!ironment !ariables.

e+n Language processors to assist in describing e+uations.

ex Line-editor mode of the vi text editor.

exit(xit from a program, shell or log you out of a U1.2 networ.

expand (xpand copies of file s.

expr (!aluate arguments as an expression.

fcThe 3C utility lists or edits and re-executes, commands pre!iously entered to an interacti!e sh.

fgContinues a stopped )ob by running it in the foreground

fgrep 0earch a file for a fixed-character string.

fileTells you if the ob)ect you are looing at is a file or if it is a directory.

find3inds one or more files assuming that you now their approximate filenames.

fingerLists information about the user.

fmt 0imple text formatters.

fold 3ilter for folding lines.

for 0hell built-in functions to repeatedly execute action4s5 for a selected number of times.

foreach 0hell built-in functions to repeatedly execute action4s5 for a selected number of times

ftp (nables ftp access to another terminal.

getfacl &isplay discretionary file information.

gprof The gprof utility produces an execution profile of a program.

grep3inds text within a file.

groupadd Creates a new group account.

groupdel (nables a super user or root to remo!e a group.

groupmod (nables a super user or root to modify a group.

gun6ip (xpand compressed files.

g!iew ' programmers text editor.

g!im ' programmers text editor.

g6ip Compress files.

halt 0top the computer.

hash ,emo!e internal hash table.

hashstat &isplay the hash stats.

head&isplays the first ten lines of a file, unless otherwise stated.

help.f you ha!e online help it will pull up a online help screen.

history &isplay the history of commands typed.

hostname 0et or print name of current host system.

id0hows you the numeric user and group .& on B0&.

ifconfig 0ets up networ interfaces.

isalist &isplay the nati!e instruction sets executable on this platform.

)obs List the )obs currently running in the bacground.

)oin 7oins command forms together.

eylogin &ecrypt the user$s secret ey.

ill Cancels a )ob.

sh 8orn shell command interpreter.

ld Lin-editor for ob)ect files.

ldd List dynamic dependencies of executable files or shared ob)ects.

less /pposite of the more command.

lex 9enerate programs for lexical tass.

ln Creates a lin to a file.

lo'llows you to exit from a program, shell or log you out of a U1.2 networ.

locate List files in databases that match a pattern.

login 0igns into a new system.

logname ,eturns users login name.

logout Logs out of a system.

lp#rints a file on 0ystem * systems.

lpadmin Configure the L# print ser!ice.

lpc Line printer control program.

lp+Lists the status of all the a!ailable printers.

lpr0ubmits print re+uests.

lprm ,emo!es print re+uests from the print +ueue.

lpstatLists status of the L# print ser!ices.

lsLists the contents of a directory.

mach &isplay the processor type of the current host.

mail/ne of the ways that allows you to read/send (-%ail.

mailcompat #ro!ide 0un/0 :.x compatibility for the 0olaris mailbox format.

mailx %ail interacti!e message processing system.

mae (xecutes a list of shell commands associated with each target.

man &isplay a manual of a command.

mesgLets you control if people can use the write command, to send text to you o!er the screen.

mdir Create a directory.

more&isplays text one screen at a time.

mount &isconnects a file systems and remote resources.

mt %agnetic tape control.

m!,enames a file or mo!es it from one directory to another directory.

ne+n Language processors to assist in describing e+uations.

netstat 0hows networ status.

newalias .nstall new elm aliases for user and/or system.

newform Change the format of a text file.

newgrp Log into a new group.

nice.n!oes a command with an altered scheduling priority.

niscat &isplay 1.0; tables and ob)ects.

nischmod Change access rights on a 1.0; ob)ect.

nischown Change the owner of a 1.0; ob)ect.

nischttl Change the time to li!e !alue of a 1.0; ob)ect.

nisdefaults &isplay 1.0; default !alues.

nisgrep Utilities for searching 1.0; tables.

nismatch Utilities for searching 1.0; tables.

nispasswd Change 1.0; password information.

nistbladm 1.0; table administration command.

nohup ,uns a command e!en if the session is disconnected or the user logs out.

nroff 3ormats documents for display or line-printer.

nslooup <ueries a name ser!er for a host or domain looup.

on (xecute a command on a remote system, but with the local en!ironment.

onintr 0hell built-in functions to respond to 4hardware5 signals.

optisa &etermine which !ariant instruction set is optimal to use.

pac0hrins file into a compressed file.

pagesi6e &isplay the si6e of a page of memory in bytes, as returned by getpagesi6e.

passwd'llows you to change your password.

paste %erge corresponding or subse+uent lines of files.

pax ,ead / write and writes lists of the members of archi!e files and copy directory hierarchies.

pcat Compresses file.

perl #erl is a programming language optimi6ed for scanning arbitrary text files, extracting information
from those text files.

pg 3iles perusal filters for C,Ts.

pgrep (xamine the acti!e processes on the system and reports the process .&s of the processes

pico 0imple and !ery easy to use text editor in the style of the #ine Composer.

ping 0ends .C%# (CH/=,(<U(0T pacets to networ hosts.

pill (xamine the acti!e processes on the system and reports the process .&s of the processes

poweroff 0top the computer.

pr3ormats a file to mae it loo better when printed.

priocntl &isplay$s or set scheduling parameters of specified process4es5

printf >rite formatted output.

ps,eports the process status.

p!s &isplay the internal !ersion information of dynamic ob)ects within an (L3 file.

pwd #rint the current woring directory.

+uit'llows you to exit from a program, shell or log you out of a U1.2 networ.

rcpCopies files from one computer to another computer.

reboot 0top the computer.

red Line oriented file editor.

rehash,ecomputes the internal hash table of the contents of directories listed in the path.

remsh,uns a command on another computer.

repeat 0hell built-in functions to repeatedly execute action4s5 for a selected number of times.

rg!iew ' programmers text editor.

rg!im ' programmers text editor.

rlogin(stablish a remote connection from your terminal to a remote machine.

rm&eletes a file without confirmation 4by default5.

rmail/ne of the ways that allows you to read/send (-%ail.

rmdir&eletes a directory.

rn,eads newsgroups.

rpcinfo ,eport ,#C information.

rsh,uns a command on another computer.

r!iew ' programmers text editor.

r!im ' programmers text editor.

s"p Con!ert a sed script into a #erl script.

sag 9raphically displays the system acti!ity data stored in a binary data file by a pre!ious sar run.

sar &isplays the acti!ity for the C#U.

script ,ecords e!erything printed on your screen.

sdiffCompares two files, side-by-side.

sed 'llows you to use pre-recorded commands to mae changes to text.

sendmail 0ends mail o!er the internet.

set0et the !alue of an en!ironment !ariable.

seten!0et the !alue of an en!ironment !ariable.

setfacl %odify the 'ccess Control List 4'CL5 for a file or files.

settime Change file access and modification time.

sh,uns or processes )obs through the Bourne shell.

shutdown Turn off the computer immediately or at a specified time.

sleep>aits a x amount of seconds.

sort0orts the lines in a text file.

spellLoos through a text file and reports any words that it finds in the text file that are not in the
dictionary.

split 0plit a file into pieces.

stop Control process execution.

stty0ets options for your terminal.

su Become super user or another user.

sysinfo 9et and set system information strings.

tabs 0et tabs on a terminal.

tail &eli!ers the last part of the file.

tar Create tape archi!es and add or extract files.

tbl #reprocessor for formatting tables for nroff or troff.

tcopy Copy a magnetic tape.

tee ,ead from a input and write to a standard output or file.

telnet Uses the telnet protocol to connect to another remote computer.

time Used to time a simple command.

timex The timex command times a command? reports process data and system acti!ity

touch Change file access and modification time.

tput .nitiali6e a terminal or +uery terminfo database.

tr Translate characters.

traceroute #rint the route pacets tae to networ host.

troff Typeset or format documents.

ul ,eads the named filenames or terminal and does underlining.

umas 9et or set the file mode creation mas.

unalias,emo!e an alias.

unhash ,emo!e internal hash table.

uname #rint name of current system.

uncompress Uncompressed compressed files.

uni+ ,eport or filter out repeated lines in a file.

unmount Crates a file systems and remote resources.

unpac (xpands a compressed file.

untar Create tape archi!es and add or extract files.

until (xecute a set of actions while/until conditions are e!aluated T,U(.

useradd Create a new user or updates default new user information.

userdel ,emo!e a users account.

usermod %odify a users account.

!acation ,eply to mail automatically.

!edit 0creen-oriented 4!isual5 display editor based on ex.

!grind 9rind nice program listings

!i 0creen-oriented 4!isual5 display editor based on ex.

!im ' programmers text editor.

!iew ' programmers text editor.

wait 'wait process completion.

wc &isplays a count of lines, words, and characters in a file

whereis Locate a binary, source, and manual page files for a command.

while ,epetiti!ely execute a set of actions while/until conditions are e!aluated T,U(.

which Locate a command.

who &isplays who is on the system.

whois .nternet user name directory ser!ice.

2 (xecute the 2 windows system.

xfd &isplay all the characters in an 2 font.

xlsfonts 0er!er font list displayer for 2.

xset User preference utility for 2.

xterm Terminal emulator for 2.

xrdb 2 ser!er resource database utility.

yacc 0hort for yet another compiler-compiler, yacc is a compiler.

yppasswd Changes networ password in the 1.0 database.

6cat Compress files.