Daily Drivers

ls

Usage       : ls -l
Example     : ls -la /home
Description : List files and directories
Takeaway    : Use to quickly view directory contents with details

cd

Usage       : cd /home/user
Example     : cd .. to move up one level
Description : Change directory
Takeaway    : Use to navigate the filesystem

pwd

Usage       : pwd
Example     : Show absolute path of current location
Description : Print current working directory
Takeaway    : Use to confirm your current directory

mkdir

Usage       : mkdir newdir
Example     : mkdir -p /home/user/docs/new
Description : Create directories
Takeaway    : Use to create single or nested directories

touch

Usage       : touch file.txt
Example     : touch -t 202512161200 file.txt
Description : Create empty files or update timestamps
Takeaway    : Use to quickly create files or adjust timestamps

cp

Usage       : cp file.txt /backup/
Example     : cp -r dir1 dir2
Description : Copy files or directories
Takeaway    : Use to duplicate files or directories

mv

Usage       : mv old.txt new.txt
Example     : mv file.txt /home/user/docs/
Description : Move or rename files
Takeaway    : Use for renaming or relocating files

rm

Usage       : rm file.txt
Example     : rm -rf /tmp/*
Description : Remove files or directories
Takeaway    : Use for deletion (be cautious with -rf)

Viewing & Reading Files

cat

Usage       : cat file.txt
Example     : cat file1 file2 > combined.txt
Description : Concatenate and display file contents
Takeaway    : Use for quick file viewing or combining

less

Usage       : less file.txt
Example     : Scroll and search within logs
Description : View files interactively
Takeaway    : Use for large files with navigation

more

Usage       : more file.txt
Example     : Display long text files
Description : View files page by page
Takeaway    : Use for simple file viewing

Links & Metadata

ln

Usage       : ln -s /path/file linkname
Example     : Create symlink to config file
Description : Create hard or symbolic links
Takeaway    : Use for shortcuts or linking files

readlink

Usage       : readlink linkname
Example     : Resolve symbolic link path
Description : Show target of symlink
Takeaway    : Use to trace symlink destinations

stat

Usage       : stat file.txt
Example     : Display permissions, size, timestamps
Description : Show detailed file metadata
Takeaway    : Use for file diagnostics

file

Usage       : file archive.tar.gz
Example     : Detect binary vs text file
Description : Identify file type
Takeaway    : Use for quick file type checks

Disk Usage & Structure

du

Usage       : du -sh /home/user
Example     : Summarize directory size
Description : Show disk usage of files/directories
Takeaway    : Use for space analysis

df

Usage       : df -h
Example     : Monitor available storage
Description : Show filesystem disk space usage
Takeaway    : Use for system-wide disk usage

tree

Usage       : tree /home/user
Example     : Show nested directories
Description : Display directory structure visually
Takeaway    : Use for hierarchical visualization

Searching Files

find

Usage       : find /home -name "*.txt"
Example     : Find all .log files
Description : Search files by name/type/attributes
Takeaway    : Use for powerful file searches

locate

Usage       : locate file.txt
Example     : Quickly find files system-wide
Description : Search files using prebuilt database
Takeaway    : Use for fast searches (requires updatedb)

which

Usage       : which python
Example     : Locate binary in PATH
Description : Show path of executable
Takeaway    : Use for checking executable location

whereis

Usage       : whereis gcc
Example     : Show all locations of gcc
Description : Locate binary, source, and man pages
Takeaway    : Use for comprehensive lookup

Utilities & Special Operations

rename

Usage       : rename 's/.txt/.bak/' *.txt
Example     : Rename all .txt to .bak
Description : Batch rename files
Takeaway    : Use for mass renaming

rmdir

Usage       : rmdir emptydir
Example     : Delete unused folder
Description : Remove empty directories
Takeaway    : Use for cleaning up empty directories

cmp

Usage       : cmp file1 file2
Example     : Detect differences in binaries
Description : Compare two files byte by byte
Takeaway    : Use for file comparison

Input & Output Utilities

tee

Usage       : ls | tee files.txt
Example     : Save and display command output simultaneously
Description : Redirect output to both terminal and file
Takeaway    : Use for logging while viewing output

read

Usage       : read name
Example     : echo "Enter name:"; read name; echo "Hello $name"
Description : Capture user input into variables
Takeaway    : Use for interactive scripts requiring user input