Linux Command Line Basics

A handful of commands cover most day-to-day tasks on a Linux Cloud Server.

Navigating and viewing files

• ls — list files in the current folder

• cd foldername — move into a folder

• pwd — show your current folder

• cat filename — view a file's contents

• nano filename — edit a file in a simple text editor

Managing files and folders

• mkdir foldername — create a folder

• cp source destination — copy a file

• mv source destination — move or rename a file

• rm filename — delete a file (use carefully, there's no undo)

Checking system status

• df -h — check disk space usage

• free -h — check memory usage

• top — see running processes and resource usage in real time