UNIT-2
Linux administrative commands
Basic and shell commands:
1.ls command
The ls command lists the content of a folder, including files and
directories.
syntax: ls [options] [directory_or_path]
2. pwd command
To check the full path of your current working directory, use the pwd
command.
syntax: pwd [options]
3. cd command
Use cd to navigate between directories in your Linux VPS.
syntax : cd [path_or_directory]
The cd command has several shortcuts:
cd – returns to the current user’s home directory.
cd .. – moves a directory up.
cd – – goes back to the previous directory
4. mkdir command
The mkdir command lets you create one or multiple directories.
syntax: mkdir [options] directory_name1 directory_name2
5. rmdir command
Run rmdir to delete empty directories in your Linux system
syntax :rmdir [options] directory_name
6. cp command
Use the cp command to copy files from your current directory to
another folder.
syntax : cp file1 file2 [target_path]
7. file command
The file command checks a file type, such as TXT, PDF, or other.
syntax :file [file_name]
8. grep command
Global regular expression print or grep lets you search specific
lines from a file using keywords.
syntax : grep [options] keyword [file]
9. touch command
Run the touch command to create a new empty file in a specific
directory.
syntax : touch [options] [path_and_file_name]
10.cat command
The concatenate or cat command has various usages. The
most basic one is printing the content of a file.
syntax: cat file_name
If you add the standard output operator symbol (>),
the cat command will create a new file. For example, the
following will make file.txt:
cat > file.txt
You can also use cat with the operator to combine the content of
multiple files into a new item. In this
command, file1.txt and file2.txt will merge into target.txt:
cat file1.txt file2.txt > target.txt
11. head command
Use the head command to print the first few entries of a file.
syntax : head [options] file_name
12.tail command
The tail command is the opposite of head, allowing you to print the
last few lines from files.
syntax: tail [options] file_name
13. cal command
The cal command displays a calendar in your Linux command-line
interface.
syntax: cal [options] [month] [year]
14. find command
The find command searches for a file within a specific directory.
syntax: find [path] [options] expression
Networking commands:
15. ping command
The ping command sends packets to a target server and fetches the
responses. It is helpful for network diagnostics.
syntax : ping [option] [hostname_or_IP_address]
16. trace route command
The trace route command tracks a packet’s path when traveling
between hosts, providing information like the transfer time and
involved routers.
syntax: trace route [options] destination
17. nslookup command
The nslookup command requests a domain name system (DNS)
server to check a domain linked to an IP address or vice versa.
syntax: nslookup [options] domain-or-ip [dns-server]
18. netstat command
The netstat command displays information about your system’s
network configuration.
syntax: netstat [options]
Add an option to query specific network information. Here are several
flags to use:
-a – displays listening and closed sockets.
-t – shows TCP connections.
-u – lists UDP connections.
-r – displays routing tables.
-i – shows information about network interfaces.
-c – continuously outputs network information for real-time
monitoring.
19. hostname command
Use the hostname command to check your VPS hostname and other
related information.
syntax: hostname [options]
20. dig command
The domain information groper or dig command displays
information about a domain.
syntax : dig [options] [server] [type] name-or-ip
21.Ifconfig command
Displays or configures network interfaces. Synyax: ifconfig
System Diagnostics and Monitoring Commands
22. top command
The top command displays all running processes in your system and
their hardware consumption.
syntax : top [options]
23. htop command
Like top, the htop command lets you display and manage processes
in your Linux server.
syntax: htop [options]
24. ps command
The ps command summarizes the status of all running processes in
your Linux system at a specific time. Unlike top and htop, it doesn’t
update the information automatically.
syntax: ps [options]
25. uname command
The unix name or uname command displays detailed information
about your Linux machine, including hardware, name, and operating
system kernel.
syntax : uname [options]
26. vmstat (Virtual Memory Statistics) command
vmstat provides information about system processes, memory, paging,
block IO, traps, and CPU activity. It can be used to monitor system
performance.
Syntax: vmstat [delay [count]]
27. iostat (Input/Output Statistics) command
iostat reports on CPU and device I/O statistics. It's useful for monitoring
disk I/O and CPU usage.
Syntax: iostat [options] [delay] [count]
28. tcpdump (Packet Analyzer) command
tcpdump is a network packet analyzer. It allows users to capture and
analyze network traffic.
Syntax: tcpdump [options]
29. iotop (I/O Top)
iotop shows real-time disk I/O usage by processes. It requires root
privileges to display process-level details.
Syntax: sudo iotop
30.lsof (List Open Files) command
The lsof command lists information about files that are currently open by
processes. It provides a way to see which files are open, including
regular files, directories, block devices, and even network sockets.
Syntax: lsof [options] [names]
