Basic Linux/Unix Commands

The following is a list of basic Linux/Unix commands with their descriptions, which can be used in the terminal.

Command Description
pwd Prints the current working directory.
ls Lists all files and directories in the current directory.
cd [directory] Changes the current directory to the one specified.
mkdir [directory] Creates a new directory.
rmdir [directory] Removes an empty directory.
rm [file] Removes a file.
cp [source] [destination] Copies files from the source to the destination.
mv [source] [destination] Moves files from the source to the destination, can also be used to rename files.
touch [file] Creates a new, empty file.
cat [file] Displays the content of a file.
echo [text] Displays a line of text/string that is passed as an argument.
man [command] Displays the manual page for the specified command.
exit Exits the current shell session.