Creating Files and Directories
| Command | Description |
|---|
touch file.txt | Creates an empty file named file.txt. |
mkdir new_directory | Creates a new directory named new_directory. |
echo "text" > file.txt | Creates a file with the specified text content. |
echo "text" >> file.txt | Appends the specified text to an existing file. |
Viewing and Editing Files
| Command | Description |
|---|
cat file.txt | Displays the entire content of a file. |
head file.txt | Displays the first 10 lines of a file. |
head -n 5 file.txt | Displays the first 5 lines of a file. |
tail file.txt | Displays the last 10 lines of a file. |
nano file.txt | Opens file.txt in the nano text editor. |
File Search Techniques
| Command | Description |
|---|
find /path -name filename | Searches for a file with the specified name under the given path. |
find . -type d | Searches for all directories in the current path. |
find . -type f -name "*.txt" | Finds all .txt files in the current directory. |
which command | Locates the executable path of a command. |
Deleting Files
rm: Deletes files or directories.
| Command | Description |
|---|
rm file.txt | deletes a file named file.txt |
rm -i file.txt | prompts before deleting the file |
rm -r folder | deletes a folder and its contents |
rm -rf folder | forcibly deletes a folder and its contents without confirmation |
Caution: Use the -f (force) option carefully, as it bypasses confirmation.
Copying Files
cp: Copies files or directories.
| Command | Description |
|---|
cp file.txt backup.txt | copies file.txt to backup.txt |
cp -r folder1 folder2 | recursively copies folder1 and its contents to folder2 |
cp -i file.txt backup.txt | prompts before overwriting backup.txt |
Moving Files
mv: Moves or renames files and directories.
| Command | Description |
|---|
mv file.txt folder/ | moves file.txt to the folder |
mv oldname.txt newname.txt | renames oldname.txt to newname.txt |
mv -i file.txt folder/ | prompts before overwriting a file in the destination |