Linux Command Line Reference

The Linux command line, also known as the Terminal, is a powerful tool that opens up a wide range of possibilities for ChromeOS users. Through this interface, you can interact directly with the Linux environment installed on your device, allowing you to run commands, manage files, and execute scripts with precision and efficiency. This reference guide provides a curated list of the most commonly used Linux commands, designed to help you get the most out of your ChromeOS Linux experience, whether you're a beginner or an advanced user.

Command	Description	More Information
alias	Creates or lists aliases, which are shortcuts for commands.	alias command
apt	The Advanced Package Tool is the default package manager for Debian-based Linux distributions. It is used to manage software packages.	apt documentation
cat	Concatenates and displays files. Commonly used to read or combine files.	cat command
cd	Changes the current working directory to the specified directory.	cd command
chmod	Changes the file mode bits (permissions) of a file or directory.	chmod command
chown	Changes the user and/or group ownership of a file or directory.	chown command
clear	Clears the terminal screen.	clear command
cp	Copies files and directories from one location to another.	cp command
curl	Transfers data from or to a server using various protocols (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc.).	curl command
date	Displays or sets the system date and time.	date command
df	Displays disk space usage of file systems.	df command
du	Estimates and displays disk space used by files and directories.	du command
echo	Displays a line of text or variables to the terminal.	echo command
env	Prints or modifies the environment variables.	env command
export	Sets environment variables for the current shell session.	export command
find	Searches for files and directories in a directory hierarchy.	find command
free	Displays the total amount of free and used physical and swap memory in the system.	free command
grep	Searches for patterns in files using regular expressions.	grep command
head	Outputs the first part of files. By default, displays the first 10 lines.	head command
history	Displays or manipulates the command history list.	history command
id	Displays user identity information, including user and group IDs.	id command
ifconfig	Configures or displays network interface parameters. (Deprecated in favor of ip command.)	ifconfig command
ip	Shows or manipulates routing, network devices, interfaces, and tunnels.	ip command
kill	Sends a signal to a process, typically used to terminate it.	kill command
killall	Kills processes by name.	killall command
less	A pager program used to view (but not modify) the contents of a text file one screen at a time.	less command
ln	Creates links between files. By default, creates hard links; can create symbolic links with -s option.	ln command
locate	Finds files by name using a prebuilt database.	locate command
logout	Exits a login shell session.	logout command
ls	Lists files and directories in the current working directory.	ls command
man	Displays the manual pages for commands and programs.	man command
mkdir	Creates a new directory with the specified name.	mkdir command
mount	Mounts a filesystem.	mount command
mv	Moves or renames files and directories.	mv command
nano	A simple command-line text editor.	nano editor
passwd	Changes a user's password.	passwd command
ping	Sends ICMP ECHO_REQUEST packets to network hosts to test connectivity.	ping command
ps	Reports a snapshot of current processes.	ps command
pwd	Prints the full pathname of the current working directory.	pwd command
reboot	Reboots the system. Requires superuser privileges.	reboot command
rm	Removes (deletes) files or directories.	rm command
rmdir	Removes empty directories.	rmdir command
shutdown	Brings the system down in a secure way.	shutdown command
sort	Sorts lines of text files.	sort command
ssh	Securely connects to a remote host over the network via the SSH protocol.	ssh command
ssh-keygen	Generates, manages, and converts authentication keys for SSH.	ssh-keygen command
sudo	Executes a command as another user, typically the superuser (root).	sudo documentation
tail	Outputs the last part of files. By default, displays the last 10 lines.	tail command
tar	An archiving utility used to create, maintain, modify, and extract files from tar archives.	tar command
top	Displays real-time information about running processes, including CPU and memory usage.	top command
touch	Changes file timestamps or creates empty files if they do not exist.	touch command
uname	Prints system information, such as kernel name, version, and architecture.	uname command
unzip	Extracts files from a ZIP archive.	unzip command
uptime	Tells how long the system has been running, and the load average.	uptime command
vi / vim	A powerful text editor with a steep learning curve but extensive features.	vim editor
wget	Downloads files from the web via HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP protocols.	wget command
whereis	Locates the binary, source, and manual page files for a command.	whereis command
which	Shows the full path of shell commands.	which command
whoami	Prints the effective username of the current user.	whoami command
xargs	Builds and executes command lines from standard input.	xargs command
yes	Outputs a string repeatedly until killed. Often used to automate prompts.	yes command
zip	Compresses files into a ZIP archive.	zip command