Vaishnavu c v | VAPT

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Basic Linux commands that a beginner should know.

Contents
Basic Linux commands ................................................................................................................................................... 2
Networking Commands:................................................................................................................................................. 2
Service Commands: ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
System Administration Commands:.............................................................................................................................. 3
Linux file system/ Directory ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Explanation of Each Directory: .................................................................................................................................. 5
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Basic Linux commands

• ls: List directory contents
• cd: Change directory
• pwd: Print working directory
• mkdir: Make a directory
• rmdir: Remove directory
• touch: Create a new file
• rm: Remove files or directories
• cp: Copy files or directories
• mv: Move or rename files or directories
• man: Display the user manual
• echo: Display a message or data
• chmod: Change file permissions
• chown: Change file owner and group
• ps: Display a list of currently running processes
• kill: Kill a process
• top: Display system summary and processes
• df: Display disk space usage
• du: Estimate file and directory space usage
• cat: Concatenate and display file content
• nano, vi: Text editors
• clear: Clear the terminal screen
• exit: Exit the terminal

Networking Commands:
1. ping: Test the network connection between the host and a destination computer.
o Example: ping google.com
2. ifconfig (or ip a): Display or configure a network interface.
3. netstat: Display network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, etc.
o Example: netstat -tuln (Displays listening ports)
4. traceroute: Display the route and transit delays of packets across a network.
o Example: traceroute google.com
5. nslookup: Query the DNS to obtain domain name or IP address mapping.
o Example: nslookup example.com
6. dig: DNS lookup utility.
o Example: dig example.com
7. route: Show or manipulate the IP routing table.
o Example: route -n
8. ss: Utility to investigate sockets.
o Example: ss -tuln
9. iwconfig: Configure a wireless network interface.
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Service Commands:
1. systemctl: Control the systemd system and service manager.
o Example: systemctl start service_name (Starts a service)
o Example: systemctl stop service_name (Stops a service)
o Example: systemctl status service_name (Checks the status of a service)
2. service: Utility for initializing and managing services.
o Example: service service_name start
3. journalctl: Query and display messages from the journal.
o Example: journalctl -u service_name (Displays logs for a specific service)
4. chkconfig: Tool for managing SysV init scripts.
o Example: chkconfig --list (Lists all services and their status)
5. ufw: Uncomplicated Firewall, a user-friendly way to manage iptables.
o Example: ufw enable (Enables the firewall)
o Example: ufw allow 22/tcp (Allows SSH traffic)

System Administration Commands:

1. sudo: Execute a command as the superuser or another user.
o Example: sudo apt-get update (Updates the package list on Debian-based systems)
2. apt-get or yum or dnf: Package management commands for Debian-based (apt-get) or Red Hat-
based (yum/dnf) systems.
o Example: apt-get install package_name (Installs a package on Debian-based systems)
o Example: yum install package_name (Installs a package on older Red Hat-based systems)
o Example: dnf install package_name (Installs a package on newer Red Hat-based
systems)
3. passwd: Change a user's password.
o Example: passwd username
4. useradd and userdel: Add or delete a user account.
o Example: useradd new_username
o Example: userdel username
5. groupadd and groupdel: Add or delete a group.
o Example: groupadd new_groupname
o Example: groupdel groupname
6. df: Display disk space usage for file systems.
o Example: df -h (Displays in human-readable format)
7. du: Estimate file and directory space usage.
o Example: du -sh directory_name (Displays total space used by a directory)
8. free: Display the amount of free and used memory in the system.
o Example: free -m (Displays memory info in MB)
9. top or htop: Display dynamic real-time view of running processes.
o Example: top
o Example: htop (Note: htop might need to be installed separately)
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10. uname: Display system information.

o Example: uname -a (Displays all system information)

11. lshw: List hardware configuration.

o Example: lshw -short (Provides a concise overview of the system's hardware)

12. shutdown or reboot: Shutdown or reboot the system.

o Example: shutdown -h now (Shuts down the system immediately)

o Example: reboot (Reboots the system)

13. crontab: Schedule tasks to run automatically at specified intervals.

o Example: crontab -e (Edit the current user's cron jobs)

o Example: crontab -l (List the current user's cron jobs)

14. tar: Archive files.

o Example: tar -czvf archive_name.tar.gz directory_name (Creates a gzipped tarball)

15. gzip and gunzip: Compress or decompress files.

o Example: gzip file_name (Compresses a file)

o Example: gunzip file_name.gz (Decompresses a gzipped file)

Linux file system/ Directory

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Explanation of Each Directory:

1. / (Root): The starting point for the file system hierarchy. All other directories are subdirectories of
the root directory.
2. /bin: Contains essential command binaries required for booting and repairing the system.
3. /etc: Holds system-wide configuration files and shell scripts used to initialize system settings for
applications.
4. /home: Home directories for all users. Each user has a subdirectory named after their username.
5. /var: Contains variable data files such as logs, databases, and temporary files.
6. /usr: Contains user binaries, libraries, documentation, etc. It's a secondary hierarchy for read-only
user data.
7. /lib: Contains essential shared libraries and kernel modules.
8. /dev: Contains device files which represent hardware components.
9. /tmp: Temporary storage for files. It's cleared on system reboot.
10. /opt: Optional application software packages.
11. /sbin: Contains system binaries essential for booting, restoring, and recovering the system.
12. /srv: Contains data for services provided by the system.
13. /proc: A virtual filesystem that provides detailed information about kernel and processes.
14. /sys: A virtual filesystem that provides an interface to kernel data structures.
15. /run: Contains runtime data for processes started since the last boot.
16. /boot: Contains files needed to start the boot process.
17. /mnt: Temporary mount points for mounting filesystems.
18. /media: Mount points for removable media like USB drives and CDs.