LINUX COMMANDS

CHEAT SHEET
ANDREI DUMITRESCU

V1.01
HEEELLLOOOOO!

I’m Andrei Neagoie, Founder and Lead Instructor of the Zero To Mastery Academy.

After working as a Senior Software Developer over the years, I now dedicate 100% of my time to
teaching others in-demand skills, help them break into the tech industry, and advance their
careers.

In only a few years, over 1,000,000 students around the world have taken Zero To Mastery courses
and many of them are now working at top tier companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, Tesla, IBM,
Facebook, and Shopify, just to name a few.

This cheat sheet, created by our Linux Instructor (Andrei Dumitrescu) provides you with the key
Linux commands that you need to know and remember.

If you want to not only learn Linux but also get the exact steps to build your own projects and get
hired as a Developer or DevOps Engineer, then check out our Career Paths.

Happy Learning!
Andrei

Founder & Lead Instructor, Zero To Mastery

Andrei Neagoie
 Linux Commands Cheatsheet
The Linux Terminal
Getting Help in Linux

MAN Pages
Use man command to view the manual for a command.

Example: man ls

The man pages are navigated using the less command with shortcuts:

h : Get help within less .

q : Quit less .

enter : Show next line.

space : Show next screen.

/string : Search forward for a string.

?string : Search backward for a string.

n / N : Next/previous appearance of the search term.

Checking Command Type

type rm : Check if rm is a shell built-in or an executable file.

Example: rm is /usr/bin/rm

type cd : Check if cd is a shell built-in.

Example: cd is a shell builtin

Getting Help for Shell Built-in Commands

help command : Get help for shell built-in commands.

Example: help cd

command --help : Get help for executable commands.

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 1

 Example: rm --help

Searching Man Pages

man -k uname : Search for uname in all man pages.

man -k "copy files" : Search for "copy files" in man pages.

apropos passwd : Search for passwd related man pages.

Keyboard Shortcuts

TAB TAB: Display all commands or filenames starting with writ

ten letters.
CTRL + L: Clear the current line.
CTRL + D: Close the shell.
CTRL + U: Cut the current line.
CTRL + A: Move cursor to start of the line.
Ctrl + E: Move cursor to the end of the line.
CTRL + C: Stop the current command.
CTRL + Z: Sleep the running program.
CTRL + ALT + T: Open a terminal.

Bash History
history : Display the history.

history -d 100 : Remove a specific line from history.

history -c : Clear the entire history.

echo $HISTFILESIZE : Print the number of commands saved in the history file.

echo $HISTSIZE : Print the number of history commands saved in memory.

!! : Rerun the last command.

!20 : Run a specific command from history.

!-10 : Run the last nth command.

!abc : Run the last command starting with abc .

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 2

 !abc:p : Print the last command starting with abc .

CTRL + R : Reverse search through history.

HISTTIMEFORMAT="%d/%m/%y %T " : Record date/time of each command (add to

~/.bashrc for persistence).

Getting Root Access (sudo, su)

sudo command : Run a command as root (for users in sudo or wheel group).

sudo su : Become root temporarily.

sudo passwd root : Set the root password.

passwd username : Change a user's password.

su : Become root (if root has a password).

Linux Paths
Paths
Absolute: Starts with /

Relative: Relative to the current location

. : Current working directory

.. : Parent directory

~ : User's home directory

Changing Directories
cd : To user's home directory

cd ~ : To user's home directory

cd - : To the last directory

cd /path_to_dir : To path_to_dir

pwd : Print the current working directory

Installing Tools

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 3

 sudo apt install tree : Installs the tree command

Using Tree
tree directory/ : Example: tree .

tree -d . : Print only directories

tree -f . : Print absolute paths

The ls Command
Usage: ls [OPTIONS] [FILES]

Listing Directories
ls , ls . : Current directory

ls ~ /var / : Multiple directories

Options
l : Long listing

a : All files (including hidden)

1 : Single column

d : Directory information

h : Human-readable sizes

S : Sort by size

X : Sort by extension

-hide : Hide specific files

R : Recursive listing

i : Inode number

Disk Usage
du -sh ~ : Size of home directory

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 4

 File Timestamps and Date
ls -lu : Access time ( atime )

ls -l , ls -lt : Modification time ( mtime )

ls -lc : Change time ( ctime )

stat file.txt : All timestamps

ls -l --full-time /etc/ : Full timestamps

Modifying Timestamps with Touch

touch file.txt : Create or update timestamps

touch -a file , touch -m file : Modify atime or mtime

touch -m -t 201812301530.45 a.txt : Specific date/time

touch -d "2010-10-31 15:45:30" a.txt : Both atime and mtime

touch a.txt -r b.txt : Copy timestamps

Date and Calendar

date : Current date/time

cal , cal 2021 , cal 7 2021 : Calendars

cal -3 : Previous, current, next month

date --set="2 OCT 2020 18:00:00" : Set date/time

Sorting with ls
ls -l : Sorted by name

ls -lt : Sorted by mtime , newest first

ls -ltu : Sorted by atime

ls -ltu --reverse : Reverse order

Viewing Files (cat, less, more, head, tail,

watch)

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 5

 Displaying File Contents
cat filename : Display content

cat -n filename : Line numbers

cat filename1 filename2 > filename3 : Concatenate

Less Shortcuts
h : Help

q : Quit

enter : Next line

space : Next screen

/string : Search forward

?string : Search backward

n / N : Next/previous search result

Tail and Head

tail filename : Last 10 lines

tail -n 15 filename : Last 15 lines

tail -n +5 filename : Starting with line 5

tail -f filename : Real-time updates

head filename : First 10 lines

head -n 15 filename : First 15 lines

Monitoring Commands
watch -n 3 ls -l : Refresh every 3 seconds

Working with Files and Directories

Creating and Updating Files

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 6

 touch filename : Create a new file or update timestamps.

Creating Directories
mkdir dir1 : Create a new directory.

mkdir -p mydir1/mydir2/mydir3 : Create nested directories.

The cp Command
Copy files and directories:

cp file1 file2 : Copy file1 to file2 .

cp file1 dir1/file2 : Copy to another directory with a different name.

cp -i file1 file2 : Prompt before overwrite.

cp -p file1 file2 : Preserve permissions.

cp -v file1 file2 : Verbose output.

cp -r dir1 dir2/ : Recursively copy directories.

cp -r file1 file2 dir1 dir2 dest_dir/ : Copy multiple items to a destination.

The mv Command
Move or rename files and directories:

mv file1 file2 : Rename a file.

mv file1 dir1/ : Move to a directory.

mv -i file1 dir1/ : Prompt before overwrite.

mv -n file1 dir1/ : Prevent overwriting.

mv -u file1 dir1/ : Update based on modification time.

mv file1 dir1/file2 : Move and rename.

mv file1 file2 dir1/ dir2/ dest_dir/ : Move multiple items.

The rm Command
Remove files and directories:

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 7

 rm file1 : Remove a file.

rm -v file1 : Verbose removal.

rm -r dir1/ : Remove a directory.

rm -rf dir1/ : Force removal without prompt.

rm -ri file1 dir1/ : Prompt for each removal.

Secure File Deletion

shred -vu -n 100 file1 : Securely overwrite and remove a file.

Piping and Command Redirection

Piping Examples
ls -lSh /etc/ | head : View the top 10 largest files.

ps -ef | grep sshd : Check if sshd is running.

ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -n 3 : Top 3 processes by memory.

Command Redirection
Redirect output and errors:

ps aux > processes.txt : Output to a file.

id >> users.txt : Append output.

tail -n 10 /var/log/*.log > output.txt 2> errors.txt : Separate output and errors.

tail -n 2 /etc/passwd /etc/shadow > all.txt 2>&1 : Redirect all to one file.

cat /var/log/auth.log | grep "fail" | wc -l : Count occurrences.

Finding Files with locate and find

locate
sudo apt install plocate : Install plocate .

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 8

 sudo updatedb : Update the database.

locate filename : Find a file by name.

locate -i filename : Case insensitive search.

locate -b '\\filename' : Exact name search.

locate -r 'regex' : Regular expression search.

locate -e filename : Check file existence.

which command : Show command path.

find
Search with various options:

find ~ -type f -size +1M : Files over 1MB.

Options include type , name , iname , size , perm , links , atime , mtime , ctime ,
user , and group .

Searching for Text Patterns with grep

Usage: grep [OPTIONS] PATTERN FILE

Options
n : Print line number.

i : Case insensitive.

v : Invert match.

w : Match whole words.

a : Include binary files.

R : Recursive search.

c : Count matches.

C n : Context display (n lines around the match).

Extracting ASCII Characters from Binary Files

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 9

 strings binary_file : Example strings /bin/ls .

VIM - Text Editor

Modes
Command Mode: Default on entry.

Insert Mode: Editing text.

Last Line Mode: Save/exit commands.

Config File
VIM settings: ~/.vimrc .

Commands
i , I , a , A , o : Enter Insert Mode.

:w! , :q! , :wq! , :e! : Save/quit commands in Last Line Mode.

x , dd , ZZ , u , G , $ , 0 , ^ : Editing commands in Command Mode.

/string , ?string , n , N : Search commands in Command Mode.

vim -o file1 file2 : Open files in stacked windows.

vim -d file1 file2 : Highlight differences.

Navigation
Ctrl+w : Switch between files.

Account Management
## Account Management
/etc/passwd # users and info:
/etc/shadow # users' passwords
/etc/group # groups

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 10

 ## User Commands
useradd [OPTIONS] username # Create user.
usermod [OPTIONS] username # Modify user.
userdel -r username # Delete user.

## Group Commands
groupadd group_name # Create group.
groupdel group_name # Delete group.

## Examples
useradd -m -d /home/john -c "C++ Developer" -s /bin/bash -G s
udo,adm,mail john # Example of creating a user.
usermod -aG developers,managers john # Example of modifying a
user.

Monitoring Users

## Commands
who -H # User info.
id # User info.
whoami # User info.
w # System usage.
uptime # System usage.
last # Login history.
last -u username # Login history for a specific user.

File Permissions
Understanding Permissions
Legend: (user), g (group),
u o (others), a (all), r (read), w (write), x

(execute), (no access).

Displaying Permissions

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 11

 ls -l /etc/passwd : View file permissions.

stat /etc/shadow : Detailed permission stats.

Changing Permissions
chmod u+r filename : Add read to user.

chmod u+r,g-wx,o-rwx filename : Adjust multiple permissions.

chmod ug+rwx,o-wx filename : Set multiple permissions.

chmod ugo+x filename : Add execute to all.

chmod a+r,a-wx filename : Modify all permissions.

Absolute Mode
chmod 777 filename : Set all permissions for all.

chmod 755 filename : Read & execute for group and others.

chmod 644 filename : Read-only for group and others.

Special Permissions
SUID: chmod u+s executable_file .

SGID: chmod g+s projects/ .

Sticky Bit: chmod o+t temp/ .

UMASK
Display: umask .

Set new value: umask new_value .

Ownership
Owner: chown new_owner file .

Group: chgrp new_group file .

Both: chown new_owner:new_group file .

Recursive: chown -R new_owner file .

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 12

 File Attributes
Display: lsattr filename .

Change: chattr +-attribute filename .

Processes
Process Viewing
type rm : Check if rm is built-in or executable.

ps : Processes in current terminal.

ps -ef , ps aux , ps aux | less : System processes.

ps aux --sort=%mem | less : Sort by memory usage.

ps -ef --forest : ASCII process tree.

ps -f -u username : Processes by user.

pgrep -l sshd , pgrep -f sshd , ps -ef | grep sshd : Check for sshd .

pstree , pstree -c : Hierarchical process tree.

Dynamic Real-Time View

top : Start system monitor.

top shortcuts: h for help, space for refresh, d for delay, etc.

top -d 1 -n 3 -b > top_processes.txt : Top in batch mode.

Install htop for an interactive view.

Killing Processes
kill -l : List signals.

kill pid , kill -SIGNAL pid1 pid2 ... : Send signals.

kill -2 pid , kill -HUP pid : Send specific signal.

pkill process_name , killall process_name : Kill by name.

kill $(pidof process_name) : Kill using pidof .

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 13

 Background and Foreground Management
command & : Run in background.

jobs : List jobs.

Ctrl + Z : Stop process.

fg %job_id : Resume in foreground.

bg %job_id : Resume in background.

nohup command & : Immune to hangups.

Networking
Getting Network Interface Information
ifconfig : Enabled interfaces.

ifconfig -a , ip address show : All interfaces.

ifconfig enp0s3 , ip addr show dev enp0s3 : Specific interface.

ip -4 address : Only IPv4 info.

ip -6 address : Only IPv6 info.

ip link show , ip link show dev enp0s3 : L2 info, including MAC.

route , route -n , ip route show : Default gateway.

systemd-resolve --status : DNS servers.

Setting Network Interfaces

ifconfig enp0s3 down , ip link set enp0s3 down : Disable interface.

ifconfig enp0s3 up , ip link set enp0s3 up : Enable interface.

ifconfig -a , ip link show dev enp0s3 : Check status.

ifconfig enp0s3 192.168.0.222/24 up , ip address add 192.168.0.112/24 dev enp0s3 : Set IP.

ifconfig enp0s3:1 10.0.0.1/24 : Secondary IP.

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 14

 route del default gw , ip route del default , ip route add default via : Default
gateway.

ifconfig enp0s3 hw ether , ip link set dev enp0s3 address : Change MAC.

Netplan for Static Network Configuration on Ubuntu

1. Stop/Disable NetworkManager.

2. Create/Modify YAML in /etc/netplan .

3. Apply config: sudo netplan apply .

4. Verify: ifconfig , route -n .

OpenSSH Configuration and Management

Installation

# Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssh-server openssh-cl
ient

# CentOS
sudo dnf install openssh-server openssh-clients

Server Connection

ssh -p 22 username@server_ip # Connect using default SSH por

t
ssh -p 22 -l username server_ip # Connect with a specific us
ername
ssh -v -p 22 username@server_ip # Connect in verbose mode fo
r detailed information

# Ubuntu
sudo systemctl status ssh # Check SSH status
sudo systemctl stop ssh # Stop SSH service

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 15

 sudo systemctl restart ssh # Restart SSH service
sudo systemctl enable ssh # Enable SSH to start on boot
sudo systemctl is-enabled ssh # Check if SSH is enabled on b
oot

# CentOS
sudo systemctl status sshd # Check SSH status
sudo systemctl stop sshd # Stop SSH service
sudo systemctl restart sshd # Restart SSH service
sudo systemctl enable sshd # Enable SSH to start on boot
sudo systemctl is-enabled sshd # Check if SSH is enabled on
boot

Security Configuration
Edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config and then apply changes by restarting SSH:

Change port: Port 2278

Disable root login: PermitRootLogin no

Restrict user access: AllowUsers user1 user2

Configure firewall to filter SSH access

Enable Public Key Authentication, disable password-based login

Use SSH Protocol 2 only

Set client session intervals and max attempts for security

Remember to consult the man page ( man sshd_config ) for detailed configuration
options.

File Transfer Techniques with SCP and

RSYNC
SCP Usage

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 16

 # Copy local file to remote host
scp a.txt [email protected]:~
scp -P 2288 a.txt [email protected]:~ # Custom port

# Copy from remote to local

scp -P 2290 [email protected]:~/a.txt .

# Copy entire directory to remote

scp -P 2290 -r projects/ [email protected]:~

RSYNC Commands

# Sync local directory to local backup

sudo rsync -av /etc/ ~/etc-backup/

# Mirror directory, deleting extraneous files from dest

sudo rsync -av --delete /etc/ ~/etc-backup/

# Exclude files during sync

rsync -av --exclude-from='~/exclude.txt' /source/ /dest/

# Sync over SSH with custom port

sudo rsync -av -e 'ssh -p 2267' /etc/ [email protected]:
~/etc-backup/

Exclude Patterns Example

# exclude.txt could include patterns like:

*.avi
music/
abc.mkv

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 17

 # Exclude specific file types during transfer
rsync -av --exclude='*.mkv' /source/ /dest/

WGET for File Download

# Install wget
sudo apt install wget # Ubuntu
sudo dnf install wget # CentOS

# Basic file download

wget <https://example.com/file.iso>

# Resume incomplete download

wget -c <https://example.com/file.iso>

# Download with bandwidth limit

wget --limit-rate=100k <https://example.com/file.iso>

# Download multiple files

wget -i urls.txt # urls.txt contains list of URLs

# Recursive download for offline viewing of a website

wget -mkEpnp <http://example.org>

Use these commands to efficiently copy files and directories across systems and
for downloading content from the internet, ensuring data synchronization and
maintaining web accessibility.

NETSTAT and SS Usage

# Display all ports and connections
sudo netstat -tupan
sudo ss -tupan

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 18

 # Check if port 80 is open
netstat -tupan | grep :80

LSOF Commands
# List open files
lsof

# Files opened by a specific user

lsof -u username

# Files opened by a specific command/process

lsof -c sshd

# Open files for TCP ports in LISTEN state

lsof -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN
lsof -iTCP -sTCP:LISTEN -nP

Use these commands to monitor network connections, check for open ports, and
view files opened by users or processes, especially for security and
troubleshooting.

Nmap Scanning Guide

# SYN Scan (root required)
nmap -sS 192.168.0.1

# TCP Connect Scan

nmap -sT 192.168.0.1

# Scan All Ports

nmap -p- 192.168.0.1

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 19

 # Scan Specific Ports
nmap -p 20,22-100,443,1000-2000 192.168.0.1

# Service Version Detection

nmap -p 22,80 -sV 192.168.0.1

# Ping Scan Network

nmap -sP 192.168.0.0/24

# Skip Host Discovery

nmap -Pn 192.168.0.0/24

# Exclude Specific IP from Scan

nmap -sS 192.168.0.0/24 --exclude 192.168.0.10

# Output Scan to File

nmap -oN output.txt 192.168.0.1

# OS Detection
nmap -O 192.168.0.1

# Aggressive Scan
nmap -A 192.168.0.1

# Read Targets from File & Output to File without DNS Resolut
ion
nmap -n -iL hosts.txt -p 80 -oN output.txt

Only scan your own networks and systems, or those you have explicit permission
to test. Unauthorized scanning can be illegal.

Software Management with DPKG and APT

DPKG
View .deb file info: dpkg --info package.deb

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 20

 Install from .deb: sudo dpkg -i package.deb

List installed programs: dpkg --get-selections or dpkg-query -l

Find by name: dpkg-query -l | grep ssh

List package files: dpkg -L openssh-server

Find owning package: dpkg -S /bin/ls

Remove package: sudo dpkg -r package

Purge package: sudo dpkg -P package

APT
Update index: sudo apt update

Install/update: sudo apt install apache2

List upgradable: sudo apt list --upgradable

Full upgrade: sudo apt full-upgrade

Remove: sudo apt remove package

Purge: sudo apt purge package

Auto remove dependencies: sudo apt autoremove

Clean cache: sudo apt clean

List all packages: sudo apt list

Search: sudo apt list | grep nginx

Show package info: sudo apt show nginx

List installed: sudo apt list --installed

Task Scheduling using Cron

crontab -e # Edit crontab
crontab -l # List tasks
crontab -r # Remove tasks

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 21

 # Schedule Format:
* * * * * command # Every minute
15 * * * * command # Hourly
30 18 * * * command # Daily
3 22 * * 1 command # Weekly
10 6 1 * * command # Monthly
@yearly command # Yearly
@reboot command # At reboot

Getting System Hardware Information

General Hardware

lshw # Full hardware info

lshw -short # Short format
lshw -json # JSON format
lshw -html # HTML format

CPU Information

lscpu # CPU details

lshw -C cpu # Hardware-specific CPU details
lscpu -J # JSON format

Memory Information

dmidecode -t memory # RAM specs

dmidecode -t memory | grep -i size
dmidecode -t memory | grep -i max
free -m # Memory usage

PCI and USB Devices

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 22

 lspci # PCI buses and connected devic
es
lspci | grep -i wireless
lspci | grep -i vga
lsusb # USB controllers and devices
lsusb -v # Verbose output

Storage Devices

lshw -short -C disk

fdisk -l # List disks
fdisk -l /dev/sda
lsblk # Block devices list

Network Devices

lshw -C network
iw list # Wi-Fi cards
iwconfig # Wi-Fi configuration
iwlist scan # Wi-Fi networks scan

System Information via /proc

cat /proc/cpuinfo # CPU info

cat /proc/meminfo # Memory info
cat /proc/version # System version
uname -r # Kernel version
uname -a # All system info

Battery Power

acpi -bi # Battery info

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 23

 acpi -V # All ACPI info

Working with Device Files (dd)

# Backup MBR
dd if=/dev/sda of=~/mbr.dat bs=512 count=1

# Restore MBR
dd if=~/mbr.dat of=/dev/sda bs=512 count=1

# Clone partition
dd if=/dev/sda1 of=/dev/sdb2 bs=4M status=progress

Use these commands to check hardware specifications and perform operations

with device files safely.

Service Management
# Analyze boot process
systemd-analyze
systemd-analyze blame

# List active units

systemctl list-units
systemctl list-units | grep ssh

# Service status
sudo systemctl status nginx.service

# Stop service
sudo systemctl stop nginx

# Start service
sudo systemctl start nginx

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 24

 # Restart service
sudo systemctl restart nginx

# Reload service config

sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo systemctl reload-or-restart nginx

# Enable service at boot

sudo systemctl enable nginx

# Disable service at boot

sudo systemctl disable nginx

# Check if service is enabled at boot

sudo systemctl is-enabled nginx

# Mask service
sudo systemctl mask nginx

# Unmask service
sudo systemctl unmask nginx

Ubuntu

sudo systemctl status ssh # Check SSH service status

sudo systemctl stop ssh # Stop SSH service
sudo systemctl restart ssh # Restart SSH service
sudo systemctl enable ssh # Enable SSH to start on boot
sudo systemctl is-enabled ssh # Check if SSH is enabled on
boot

CentOS

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 25

 sudo systemctl status sshd # Check SSHD service status
sudo systemctl stop sshd # Stop SSHD service
sudo systemctl restart sshd # Restart SSHD service
sudo systemctl enable sshd # Enable SSHD to start on bo
ot
sudo systemctl is-enabled sshd # Check if SSHD is enabled o
n boot

Security Configuration
To configure security settings, edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config . Apply changes by
restarting SSH. Key configurations include:

Change SSH port:

Port 2278

Disable root login:

PermitRootLogin no

Restrict user access to specified users only:

AllowUsers user1 user2

Configure firewall to filter SSH access

Enable Public Key Authentication and disable password-based login

Use SSH Protocol 2 only

Set client session intervals and maximum attempts for increased security

Note: Consult the man page ( man sshd_config ) for detailed configuration options.

Bash Programming
Bash Aliases

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 26

 alias # List all aliases
alias name='command' # Create an alias
unalias name # Remove an alias

Useful Aliases

alias c='clear'
alias cl='clear; ls; pwd'
alias root='sudo su'
alias ports='netstat -tupan'
alias sshconfig='sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config'
alias update='sudo apt update && sudo apt dist-upgrade -y &&
sudo apt clean'

Interactive File Manipulation

alias cp='cp -i'

alias mv='mv -i'
alias rm='rm -i'

Bash Variables

variable="value" # Define a variable

echo $variable # Reference a variable
declare -r const=100 # Define a read-only variable
unset variable # Unset a variable
env | grep PATH # Find an environment variable
export PATH=$PATH:~/bin # Modify the PATH variable

Special Variables

$0, $1, $2, ..., ${10} # Script name & positional argument
s

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 27

 $# # Number of positional arguments
"$*" # All positional arguments as a sin
gle string
$? # Exit status of the last command

Program Flow Control

if [ condition ]; then command; fi #

Basic if statement
if [ condition ]; then command; else other_command; fi
# If-else statement
if [ condition ]; then command; elif [ condition ]; then...
# If-elif-else statement

Test Conditions

# Numeric comparisons: -eq, -ne, -lt, -le, -gt, -ge

# File checks: -s, -f, -d, -x, -w, -r
# String comparisons: =, !=, -n (not zero), -z (is zero)
# Logical operators: && (and), || (or)

Loops and Functions

for i in {1..5}; do echo "Loop $i"; done # For

loop
while [ condition ]; do command; done # Whil
e loop
case "$variable" in pattern) command;; esac # Case
statement
function name() { command; } # Func
tion definition
name() { command; } # Alte
rnative function syntax

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 28

 name # Call
a function

Command Examples

crontab -e # Edit crontab file

crontab -l # List crontab entries
crontab -r # Remove crontab entries

Combine these constructs to write effective bash scripts for task automation and
system management.

Linux Commands Cheatsheet 29