DEV Community

Cover image for Top 25 Linux Commands You’ll Use Every Day (with examples)
Sana Muhammad Sadiq
Sana Muhammad Sadiq

Posted on

Top 25 Linux Commands You’ll Use Every Day (with examples)

#cloudwhistler #opensource #devops #linux

Introduction

As part of my RHCSA + RHCE Fast-Track Training with the Cloud Whistler community, I’m documenting everything I learn and today is Day 3 of my 30-day Linux challenge.

In this article, I’ve listed the 25 most essential Linux commands that I’m using regularly whether it’s managing files, navigating the system or working with users and permissions. These are practical, real-world commands that every Linux user beginner or advanced ends up relying on daily.

If you’re learning Linux, preparing for a certification or just want to feel more confident in the terminal, this list will guide you in the right direction.

Index

  1. The Top 25 Linux Commands You will Actually Use
  2. Real World Use Cases
  3. Best Practices and Recommendations
  4. Why These Matter for Your RHCSA Journey
  5. Quick Summary

🧰 The Top 25 Linux Commands You will Actually Use) 

Command           |  What It Does
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
pwd               | `Show current directory`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
ls                | `List files and folders`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
cd                | `Change directory`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
mkdir             | `Create a new directory`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
touch             | `Create an empty file`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
rm                | `Remove files or directories`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
cp                | `Copy files or folders`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
mv                | `Move or rename files/folders`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
cat               | `View file content`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
less / more       | `Scroll through long files`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
head / tail       | `View start or end of a file`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
echo              | `Display a string or variable`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
whoami            | `Show current user`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
id                | `Display user ID and group ID`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
passwd            | `Change a user password`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
chmod             | `Change file permissions`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
chown             | `Change file owner`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
ps                | `Show running processes`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
top               | `Live process monitor`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
kill              | `End a process manually`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
clear             | `Clear the terminal screen`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
df -h             | `Show disk space in human-readable format`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
du -sh            | `Show file/folder size`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
ifconfig / ip a   | `Display network interfaces`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode 
history           | `Show previously used commands`
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Image description

🧪 Real World Use Cases

Let me share how I’ve personally used these in just the last 3 days:

• Used ls, cd and pwd to navigate through /etc, /var and /home.
• Created a test file with touch, edited it, then deleted it with rm.
• Checked disk space before downloading the ISO with df -h.
• Used ps and kill to end a stuck process during a VM freeze.

You’ll find that the more you practice, these commands start becoming second nature like muscle memory.

Best Practices and Recommendations

💡 Helpful Tips
Use man to read the manual of any command. Example: man chmod
• Use --help at the end of most commands to get a quick overview. Example: cp --help
• Practice using flags (-l, -h, -r, etc) to understand variations.

🤝 Why These Matter (for Your RHCSA Journey)

Almost every RHCSA question or lab task will require you to know at least 10–15 of these commands by heart.
Knowing what they do, how they behave and what could go wrong is the difference between struggling and passing with confidence.

Image description

🔚 Quick Summary

These 25 commands are the foundation of everything you’ll do in Linux from setting up servers to troubleshooting issues. The more you use them, the more confident you become.

Image description

I'd love to hear your thoughts, insights or experiences with Linux. Feel free to share and join the conversation [Connect with me on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/techwithsana ]💜

#30dayslinuxchallenge #redhat #networking #cloudcomputing #cloudenginner #cloudarchitect #cloud #RHCSA #RHCE #RHEL #WomeninTech #Technology

Top comments (2)

Collapse
 
devh0us3 profile image
Alex P •

Hi, a little bit better:

  • htop
  • ncdu : Image description
  • instead of history it's better to use reverse search ctrl+r
Collapse
 
jonrandy profile image
Jon Randy 🎖️ •

The touch command is actually for updating file access and modification timestamps. The fact that it creates files if they don't exist is merely a convenient side effect. It's not even the quickest/shortest command to create a new empty file.