Shortcuts for Bash Shell

shell-command-cheatsheet.md

Bash Shell Command Cheat Sheet

ssh: Access a remote computer.

Examples:

$ ssh my_username@my.server.address
$ ssh dcuser@ip-address-at-amazonaws.com

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cd: Change directory.

Examples:

$ cd my_directory/  # move into my_directory/
$ cd ..  # go up one directory.
$ cd ~   # go to home directory.

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ls: List items

Examples:

$ ls  # list items in current directory.
$ ls .  # same as above
$ ls my_directory/  # list items in my_directory

Can be combined with 'flags' or 'modifiers' or 'arguments' to change how the output is viewed.

$ ls -F  # show which items are sub-directories in current directory.
$ ls -l  . # show details about each item under the current directory.
$ ls -a  my_directory/  # show all items, including hidden ones, under my_directory/

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pwd: Print current working directory.

Examples:

$ pwd  # prints current working directory.

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Shortcuts

..: Directory one level above.

Examples:

# cd
$ cd ..  # move into directory one level up.
$ cd ../another_directory/  # move into sibling directory.

# ls
$ ls ~  # list items in home directory.
$ ls -F ~  # list items in home directory, highlighting directories with '/'.

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cat, head and tail, less: Viewing files in the terminal window.

Examples:

# cat
$ cat my_file.txt

# head
$ head -5 my_file.txt  # display the first 5 lines

# tail
$ tail -20 my_file.txt  # display the last 20 lines

# less
$ less my_file.txt

less has a six crucial commands:

• g: Go to beginning of file
• G: Go to end of file
• spacebar: go forwards
• b: go backwards
• q: quit
• /: search

This is in addition to the regular up and down arrow keys.

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cp, mv, rm: copy, move and remove items in filesystem

Examples:

# cp
$ cp my_file.txt my_copied_file.txt

# mv
$ mv my_file.txt ../my_other_directory/.  # move my_file.txt to a sibling directory.
$ mv my_file.txt my_renamed_file.txt

# rm
$ rm my_file.txt  # remove my_file.txt
$ rm -r my_directory/

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mkdir: Make a directory.

Examples:

$ mkdir my_directory  # makes a directory called `my_directory`.

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nano: Opens up a shell-based text editor.

Use this only in a pinch, when it's impossible or inconvenient to use your favourite text editor.

Examples:

$ nano my_new_textfile.txt

Look at the bottom of the nano text editor interface to see what other commands are possible. ^ is shortcut for Control-key.