pwd <\/strong>prints the full path of your current directory. It answers the question “where am I right now?” and is the safest command to run first on an unfamiliar server.<\/li>\n<\/ul>pwd<\/code><\/pre>\n- ls<\/strong> lists files and folders in the current directory. Add -la<\/strong> to see hidden files, permissions, owners, and sizes, which is useful when checking config files or log directories.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
ls -la \/var\/log<\/code><\/pre>\n- cd<\/strong> changes the current directory. Use cd ..<\/strong> to go up one level, cd ~<\/strong> to jump to your home folder, and cd –<\/strong> to return to the previous directory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
cd \/var\/www\/html<\/code><\/pre>File and directory creation<\/h3>
You’ll often need to create folders for projects, backups, or config files.<\/p>
\n- mkdir<\/strong> creates a new directory. Add -p<\/strong> to create nested folders in one go without errors if a parent already exists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
mkdir -p \/home\/user\/backups\/2025<\/code><\/pre>\n- touch<\/strong> creates an empty file or updates the timestamp on an existing one. It’s handy for placeholder files or for testing write permissions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
touch \/var\/www\/html\/test.txt<\/code><\/pre>File viewing and editing<\/h3>
When you’re troubleshooting a server, most of the work is reading log files and editing configs.<\/p>
\n- cat<\/strong> prints the full contents of a file to the screen. It’s best for short files. For large logs, use less instead, so you can scroll.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
cat \/etc\/hostname<\/code><\/pre>\n- less<\/strong> opens a file for scrolling. Use the arrow keys or Page Up<\/strong> and Page Down<\/strong> to move, \/word<\/strong> to search, and q<\/strong> to quit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
less \/var\/log\/nginx\/error.log<\/code><\/pre>\n- tail<\/strong> shows the last lines of a file. Add -f<\/strong> to follow new lines as they’re written, which is the standard way to watch logs in real time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
tail -f \/var\/log\/nginx\/access.log<\/code><\/pre>\n- head<\/strong> shows the first lines of a file. Useful for checking the top of large CSVs or log files without loading the whole thing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
head -n 20 \/var\/log\/syslog<\/code><\/pre>\n- nano<\/strong> opens a simple text editor right in the terminal. Press Ctrl+O<\/strong> to save, Ctrl+X <\/strong>to exit. It’s the easiest editor for beginners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
nano \/etc\/nginx\/nginx.conf<\/code><\/pre>File management<\/h3>
These commands copy, move, rename, and delete files. Some of them can overwrite data without asking, so read the safety notes carefully.<\/p>
\n- cp<\/strong> copies a file or folder. Add -r<\/strong> to copy a directory and all its contents. Add -i<\/strong> to be asked before overwriting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
cp -r \/var\/www\/html \/var\/www\/html_backup<\/code><\/pre>\n- mv<\/strong> moves or renames a file. There’s no separate rename command in Linux. Watch out: if the destination file already exists, mv<\/strong> overwrites it silently.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
mv config.old.conf config.bak<\/code><\/pre>\n- rm<\/strong> deletes files. Add -r<\/strong> to delete a folder and its contents. rm<\/strong> does not move files to a trash bin. Deleted files are gone immediately.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
rm \/tmp\/old-log.txt<\/code><\/pre>
\n Warning!<\/strong> Never run rm-rf \/ or rm -rf \/*. These commands delete every file on the server. Always double-check the path before running rm -r, especially when using wildcards like *. <\/p>\n \n\n\n\n<\/p>Search<\/h3>
Finding the right file or the right line in a large file saves hours of scrolling.<\/p>
\n- find<\/strong> searches for files by name, type, size, or date. It’s the most flexible search tool in Linux.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
find \/var\/www -name \"*.php\" -mtime -7<\/code><\/pre>\n- grep<\/strong> searches inside files for a word or pattern. Add -r<\/strong> to search recursively and -i<\/strong> to ignore case.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
grep -ri \"error\" \/var\/log\/nginx<\/code><\/pre>Archives and downloads<\/h3>
You’ll often need to compress files for backups or grab installers from the internet.<\/p>
\n- tar<\/strong> creates and extracts archive files. The most common usage is tar -czvf<\/strong> to create a compressed .tar.gz<\/strong> archive and tar -xzvf<\/strong> to extract one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
tar -czvf backup.tar.gz \/var\/www\/html<\/code><\/pre>\n- wget<\/strong> downloads files from a URL straight to the server.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
wget https:\/\/example.com\/installer.sh<\/code><\/pre>\n- curl<\/strong> also downloads files and is the standard tool for testing APIs and HTTP responses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
curl -O https:\/\/example.com\/file.zip<\/code><\/pre>System checks<\/h3>
When something goes wrong, you’ll need to check disk space, running processes, and active services.<\/p>
\n- df<\/strong> shows free and used disk space on each mounted filesystem. Add -h<\/strong> for human-readable sizes (GB, MB).<\/li>\n<\/ul>
df -h<\/code><\/pre>\n- du<\/strong> shows the size of files and folders. du -sh *<\/strong> is the quickest way to see which folders are eating up your space.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
du -sh \/var\/log\/*<\/code><\/pre>\n- top<\/strong> shows running processes in real time, sorted by CPU usage. Press q to exit. For a nicer interface, install and use htop.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
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