The Linux command line is a powerful tool for managing files and performing system tasks. Whether you’re just starting or you’re looking to refine your skills, this cheat sheet provides essential commands that you’ll need to operate Linux efficiently.

In this post, we’ll cover basic commands and file management essentials, each with simple examples to help you get the most out of your terminal.

Essential Linux Commands

These are the commands you’ll use most often. Memorizing them will give you a solid foundation for navigating and managing your Linux environment.

Command	Description	Example
*	Wildcard symbol for variable length.	*.txt (matches all .txt files)
?	Wildcard symbol for a single character.	Doc?.docx (matches Doc1.docx, DocA.docx, etc.)
ls	List files and directories.	ls
ls -l	List files with detailed information (permissions, time/date).	ls -l
ls -a	List all files, including hidden files.	ls -a
ls -t	List files sorted by modification time.	ls -t
cd Y	Change directory to Y.	cd /etc
cd ..	Move to the parent directory.	cd ..
cd	Move to the home directory.	cd
pwd	Print the current working directory path.	pwd
mkdir X	Create a new directory X.	mkdir new_folder
mv A B	Move or rename a file from A to B.	mv file.txt new_location/
cp A B	Copy a file from A to B.	cp file1.txt folder/
cp -r Y Z	Recursively copy directory Y to Z.	cp -r folder1/ folder2/
rm X	Remove file X permanently.	rm file.txt
rm -r Y	Remove directory Y and its contents recursively.	rm -r folder/
rm -f X	Force remove file X without confirmation.	rm -f file.txt
rm -rf Y	Force remove directory Y and its contents recursively.	rm -rf folder/
rmdir Y	Remove an empty directory Y.	rmdir empty_folder
open X	Open file X in its default program.	open file.pdf
touch X	Create a new empty file X or update its timestamp.	touch new_file.txt
cat X	Display contents of file X.	cat file.txt
cat -b X	Display contents of file X with line numbers.	cat -b file.txt
wc X	Display word count of file X.	wc file.txt
head X	Display the first 10 lines of file X.	head file.txt
head -n 4 X	Display the first 4 lines of file X.	head -n 4 file.txt
`ls *.c	head -n 5`	Display the first 5 .c files in the directory.
tail X	Display the last 10 lines of file X.	tail file.txt
tail -n +1 X	Display all contents of file X.	tail -n +1 file.txt
tail -f X	Display the last 10 lines and follow changes to file X.	tail -f file.txt
less	View file contents with navigation.	less file.txt
ln -s A S	Create a symbolic link from A to link S.	ln -s /path/to/file link_name
cmp A B	Compare files A and B for identical content.	cmp file1.txt file2.txt
diff A B	Compare files A and B for differences.	diff file1.txt file2.txt

Input/Output Redirection

Input/output redirection allows you to log program outputs and error messages, or manipulate the flow of input and output between commands and files. Here are the essential commands:

Command	Description	Example
echo TEXT	Display a line of TEXT or the contents of a variable.	echo "Hello, World!"
echo -e TEXT	Interprets escape characters in TEXT (e.g., \n → new line, \b → backslash, \t → tab).	echo -e "Hello\nWorld!"
echo -n TEXT	Omits the trailing newline after TEXT.	echo -n "Hello"
`cmd1	cmd2`	Pipe output of cmd1 to cmd2.
cmd > file	Redirect output of cmd to file. Overwrites pre-existing content of the file.	ls > files_list.txt
cmd >& file	Redirect output of cmd to file, suppressing the output of cmd. Overwrites file content.	ls >& files_list.txt
cmd > /dev/null	Suppress the output of cmd (output is discarded).	ls > /dev/null
cmd >> file	Append output of cmd to file (does not overwrite).	echo "new data" >> data.txt
cmd < file	Read input for cmd from file.	wc -l < data.txt
cmd << delim	Read input for cmd from standard input until the delimiter delim is encountered.	wc -l << EOF > I like > apples > EOF
cmd <<< string	Input a text string to cmd.	echo "Hello" <<< "world"
cmd 2> foo	Redirect error messages of cmd to foo.	ls non_existent_folder 2> error.log
cmd 2>> foo	Append error messages of cmd to foo.	ls non_existent_folder 2>> error.log
cmd &> file	Redirect both output and error messages of cmd to file.	ls /bin &> output_and_errors.txt

Explanation of Common Redirection Symbols:

• >: Redirects output, overwrites file.
• >>: Redirects output, appends to file.
• 2>: Redirects error output to a file.
• 2>>: Appends error output to a file.
• &>: Redirects both output and error to a file.
• /dev/null: A special file that discards output (essentially silences a command).

Examples:

Piping Commands:

bashCopyEditps aux | grep python3

This command lists all processes and then filters for python3.

Redirecting Output to a File:

bashCopyEditecho "Hello, Linux!" > greeting.txt

This will write "Hello, Linux!" to greeting.txt.

Redirecting Error Output to a File:

bashCopyEditls non_existent_file 2> error.log

If non_existent_file doesn’t exist, it will log the error to error.log.

Search and Filter

These commands help you find specific files or filter through content. They are essential for navigating and manipulating large sets of data or files.

Command	Description	Example
grep patt /path/to/src	Search for the text pattern patt in files located in /path/to/src. Commonly used with pipes.	`ps aux
grep -r patt /path/to/src	Recursively search for the text pattern patt in /path/to/src and its subdirectories.	grep -r "error" /var/log/
grep -v patt X	Return lines in X that do not match the specified pattern patt.	grep -v "debug" log.txt
grep -l patt X	Display the names of files that contain the text pattern patt.	grep -l "TODO" *.txt
grep -i patt X	Perform a case-insensitive search for the pattern patt in X.	grep -i "linux" file.txt
find	Find files in a directory structure based on specified conditions.	find /home
find /path/to/src -name "*.sh"	Find all files in /path/to/src matching the pattern "*.sh" in their file names.	find /usr/bin -name "*.sh"
find /home -size +100M	Find all files larger than 100MB in the /home directory.	find /home -size +100M
locate name	Find files or directories by name using an index of all files on the system.	locate "document.txt"
sort X	Sort lines of text in X either alphabetically or numerically.	sort file.txt

Explanation of Key Commands:

• grep: Searches through file content for patterns.
  • -r: Recursively search directories.
  • -v: Invert match (exclude the pattern).
  • -l: List filenames that match the pattern.
  • -i: Ignore case when searching.
• find: Searches the filesystem for files based on criteria like name, size, or type.
• locate: Uses a pre-built index to quickly locate files on the system.
• sort: Orders lines in a file or input stream.

Examples:

1. Search for running Python processes: bashCopyEditps aux | grep python3
2. Find all .sh files in a directory: bashCopyEditfind /usr/bin -name "*.sh"
3. Find files larger than 100MB: bashCopyEditfind /home -size +100M
4. Sort contents of a file alphabetically: bashCopyEditsort file.txt

Search for running Python processes:

bashCopyEditps aux | grep python3

Find all .sh files in a directory:

bashCopyEditfind /usr/bin -name "*.sh"

Find files larger than 100MB:

bashCopyEditfind /home -size +100M

Sort contents of a file alphabetically:

bashCopyEditsort file.txt

Archives

These commands are essential for creating, manipulating, and extracting compressed files (like .tar, .zip, .gz, .bz2). Archives help reduce the file size and organize files efficiently. Below is a breakdown of the most common archive-related commands.

Command	Description	Example
tar	Manipulate .tar archive files.	tar
tar -v	Get verbose output while manipulating .tar archives.	tar -tvf archive.tar
tar -cf archive.tar Y	Create a .tar archive named archive.tar containing Y.	tar -cf archive.tar folder/
tar -xf archive.tar	Extract the .tar archive named archive.tar.	tar -xf archive.tar
tar -tf archive.tar	List contents of the .tar archive named archive.tar.	tar -tf archive.tar
tar -czf archive.tar.gz Y	Create a gzip-compressed .tar archive named archive.tar.gz containing Y.	tar -czf archive.tar.gz folder/
tar -xzf archive.tar.gz	Extract the gzip-compressed .tar archive named archive.tar.gz.	tar -xzf archive.tar.gz
tar -cjf archive.tar.bz2 Y	Create a bzip2-compressed .tar archive named archive.tar.bz2 containing Y.	tar -cjf archive.tar.bz2 folder/
tar -xjf archive.tar.bz2	Extract the bzip2-compressed .tar archive named archive.tar.bz2.	tar -xjf archive.tar.bz2
gzip	Manipulate .gz archives.	gzip
gzip Y	Create a gzip archive named Y.gz containing Y.	gzip file.txt
gzip -l Y.gz	List contents of the gzip archive Y.gz.	gzip -l archive.gz
gzip -d Y.gz	Extract Y.gz and recover the original file Y.	gzip -d file.txt.gz
gunzip Y.gz	Extract Y.gz and recover the original file Y.	gunzip file.txt.gz
bzip2	Manipulate .bz2 archives.	bzip2
bzip2 Y	Create a bzip2 archive named Y.bz2 containing Y.	bzip2 file.txt
bzip2 -d Y.gz	Extract .bz2 archive Y.gz and recover the original file Y.	bzip2 -d archive.bz2
bunzip2 Y.gz	Extract .bz2 archive Y.gz and recover the original file Y.	bunzip2 archive.bz2
zip -r Z.zip Y	Zip folder Y and its contents into the .zip archive Z.zip.	zip -r archive.zip folder/
unzip Z.zip	Unzip .zip archive Z.zip to the current directory.	unzip archive.zip
unzip Z.zip	List contents of .zip archive Z.zip.	unzip -l archive.zip

Explanation of Archive Compression Formats:

• .tar: Common format for combining multiple files into a single archive (not compressed).
• .tar.gz (Gzip): Combines files into a .tar archive and compresses it using Gzip for smaller file sizes.
• .tar.bz2 (Bzip2): Similar to .tar.gz but uses Bzip2 compression, which can sometimes achieve higher compression rates.
• .gz: Gzip compressed files.
• .bz2: Bzip2 compressed files.
• .zip: A widely used format for archiving and compressing files (often seen in Windows).

Examples:

Create a .tar Archive:

bashCopyEdittar -cf archive.tar folder/

This will create archive.tar containing everything in folder/.

Extract a .tar.gz Archive:

bashCopyEdittar -xzf archive.tar.gz

This will extract the contents of archive.tar.gz.

Zip a Folder:

bashCopyEditzip -r folder.zip folder/

This will compress the folder folder/ into a .zip archive.

Extract a .bz2 Archive:

bashCopyEdittar -xjf archive.tar.bz2

This will extract the contents of archive.tar.bz2.

File Transfer

These commands are used for connecting to remote systems and transferring files securely between local and remote devices. Whether you’re copying, synchronizing, or uploading/downloading files, these tools are essential for managing remote file systems.

Command	Description	Example
ssh user@access	Connect to a remote system access as user.	ssh alice@192.168.1.10
ssh access	Connect to access as your local username.	ssh pi@192.168.1.100
ssh -p port user@access	Connect to a remote system access as user on a specified port port.	ssh -p 2222 alice@192.168.1.10
scp [user1@]host1:[path1] [user2@]host2:[path2]	Securely copy files from host1 (and path1) to host2 (and path2) via SSH. Paths may be local or remote.	scp alice@pi:/home/alice/file.txt bob@192.168.1.20:/home/bob/
scp -P port [user1@]host1:[path1] [user2@]host2:[path2]	Securely copy files from host1 to host2 on a specific port port.	scp -P 2222 alice@pi:/file.txt bob@arduino:/file2.txt
scp -r [user1@]host1:[path1] [user2@]host2:[path2]	Recursively copy files and directories from host1 to host2.	scp -r alice@pi:/home/alice/folder/ bob@arduino:/home/bob/
sftp [user@]access	Securely connect to access as user using the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).	sftp alice@192.168.1.100
sftp access	Connect to access using your local username via SFTP.	sftp pi@192.168.1.100
sftp -P port user@access	Connect to access as user on a specific port port using SFTP.	sftp -P 2222 alice@192.168.1.100
rsync -a [path1] [path2]	Synchronize path1 to path2, preserving symbolic links, attributes, permissions, ownership, and other settings.	rsync -a /local/folder/ user@remote:/remote/folder/
rsync -avz host1:[path1] [path2]	Synchronize files from remote host host1 (at path1) to local path2, preserving settings and compressing data during transfer.	rsync -avz pi:/home/pi/ file.txt

Explanation of File Transfer Commands:

• ssh: Securely connects to a remote machine over the network.
  • -p: Specifies the port to use when connecting to the remote system.
• scp: Securely copies files between hosts over SSH.
  • -P: Specifies the port to use.
  • -r: Recursively copies directories.
• sftp: Secure File Transfer Protocol for transferring files securely over SSH.
  • -P: Specifies the port to use when connecting.
• rsync: Synchronizes files and directories between two locations, locally or remotely. It preserves attributes, and is capable of compressing the data during transfer.
  • -a: Archive mode, which preserves symbolic links, permissions, and timestamps.
  • -v: Verbose mode; shows detailed output of the transfer process.
  • -z: Compresses data during the transfer to save bandwidth.

Examples:

Securely Copy a File from Local to Remote:

bashCopyEditscp file.txt user@192.168.1.10:/home/user/

This copies file.txt from the local system to /home/user/ on the remote system.

Synchronize a Directory Locally:

bashCopyEditrsync -avz /local/dir/ user@remote:/remote/dir/

This synchronizes the contents of /local/dir/ to /remote/dir/ on the remote system.

Use SFTP to Upload Files:

bashCopyEditsftp user@192.168.1.10

This opens an SFTP session with the remote system 192.168.1.10.

Recursively Copy Files Between Two Hosts:

bashCopyEditscp -r folder/ user@remote:/home/user/

This recursively copies the entire folder and its contents from the local machine to the remote system.

File Permissions

File permissions are crucial for security and functionality in Linux. They control who can read, write, or execute files. Here’s a guide to help you manage file permissions effectively.

Command	Description	Example
chmod permission file	Change the permissions of a file or directory. Permissions can be set using symbolic notation or octal numbers.	chmod +x testfile (Allow execution)
chown user2 file	Change the owner of a file to user2.	chown bob file.txt (Change owner to bob)
chgrp group2 file	Change the group of a file to group2.	chgrp staff file.txt (Change group to staff)

Symbolic Permissions Format

• u: user (owner)
• g: group
• o: other users
• a: all users
• r: read
• w: write
• x: execute
• +: add permission
• –: remove permission
• =: set exact permission

Examples of Using chmod (Symbolic Format):

Command	Description	Effect
chmod +x testfile	Allow all users to execute the file.	Adds execute permission for all users.
chmod u-w testfile	Forbid the current user from writing to the file.	Removes write permission for the user.
chmod u+wx,g-x,o=rx testfile	Add write and execute permissions to the user, remove execute permission from the group, and set permissions of others to read and execute.	Modifies multiple permissions at once.

Numeric Representation of Permissions

Linux permissions can also be expressed as a three-digit octal number. Here’s how they map to symbolic format:

Octal	Permission(s)	Equivalent to symbolic notation
0	No permissions	---
1	Execute only	--x
2	Write only	-w-
3	Write and execute	-wx
4	Read only	r--
5	Read and execute	r-x
6	Read and write	rw-
7	All permissions	rwx

Examples of Using chmod (Numeric Format):

Command	Description	Effect
chmod 777 testfile	Allow all users to read, write, and execute the file.	Gives full access to everyone.
chmod 177 testfile	Restrict the current user to execute-only, while the group and other users have full access.	User can execute, others have full access.
chmod 365 testfile	User can write and execute; group can read and write; others can read and execute.	Fine-tuned permission set.

Examples of Permission Changes:

Give Execute Permission to a File:

bashCopyEditchmod +x testfile

This command allows all users to execute testfile.

Remove Write Permission for the User:

bashCopyEditchmod u-w testfile

The current user will no longer be able to modify testfile.

Set Read, Write, and Execute Permissions Using Numeric Values:

bashCopyEditchmod 755 testfile

This grants the user full permissions, while the group and others can read and execute the file.

Change Ownership of a File:

bashCopyEditchown bob testfile

Changes the owner of testfile to bob.

Change Group of a File:

bashCopyEditchgrp admin testfile

Changes the group of testfile to admin.

System Information

System information commands are essential when you’re developing applications or troubleshooting your Linux machine. These commands help you gather information about your system’s configuration, hardware, and storage usage.

General System Information

Command	Description	Example
uname	Show basic Linux system information.	uname (Shows basic system info)
uname -a	Show detailed Linux system information.	uname -a (Displays full system details)
uname -r	Show kernel release information (e.g., kernel version).	uname -r (Displays kernel version)
uptime	Show how long the system has been running and the load information.	uptime (Shows system uptime and load averages)
su	Switch to superuser (root). Used to execute commands as a root user.	su (Switches to root)
sudo	Run commands with superuser (root) privileges.	sudo shutdown (Shutdown the system as root)
cal	Show the current calendar with the current date highlighted.	cal (Displays the current month’s calendar)
date	Show the current date and time of the system.	date (Displays the current date and time)
halt	Stop the system immediately.	halt (Immediately shuts down the system)
shutdown	Shut down the system.	shutdown (Shuts down the system)
reboot	Restart the system.	reboot (Restarts the system)
last reboot	Show reboot history.	last reboot (Displays history of system reboots)
man COMMAND	Show the manual page for a given command.	man ls (Displays the manual for the ls command)
hostname	Show the hostname of the system.	hostname (Displays the system’s hostname)
hostname -I	Display the IP address of the host.	hostname -I (Displays the host’s IP address)
cat /etc/*-release	Show the version of the installed Linux distribution.	cat /etc/os-release (Displays OS version information)

Hardware Information

Command	Description	Example
dmesg	Display messages from the kernel ring buffer, such as boot and hardware messages.	dmesg (Displays kernel log messages)
cat /proc/cpuinfo	Display information about the CPU.	cat /proc/cpuinfo (Shows CPU details)
cat /proc/meminfo	Display information about system memory (RAM).	cat /proc/meminfo (Shows memory details)
lspci -tv	Display information about PCI devices, including peripherals.	lspci -tv (Shows PCI device info as a tree)
lsusb -tv	Display information about USB devices connected to the system.	lsusb -tv (Shows USB device info as a tree)
dmidecode	Display detailed system hardware components, serial numbers, and BIOS version.	dmidecode (Displays system hardware details)
hdparm -i /dev/sda	Display information about the disk /dev/sda.	hdparm -i /dev/sda (Shows disk details)
hdparm -tT /dev/sda	Perform a read speed test on the disk /dev/sda.	hdparm -tT /dev/sda (Shows disk speed performance)
badblocks -s /dev/sda	Test for unreadable blocks on the disk /dev/sda.	badblocks -s /dev/sda (Scans for bad blocks)

Disk Usage

Command	Description	Example
df	Display disk space usage of mounted filesystems.	df (Displays disk usage of mounted filesystems)
du	Display the size of files and directories.	du (Shows file/folder sizes)
du -ah	Show disk usage in human-readable format (e.g., KB, MB, GB).	du -ah (Shows file/folder sizes in human-readable units)
du -sh	Show total disk usage of the current directory.	du -sh (Displays total size of current directory)
du -h	Show free and used space on mounted filesystems in human-readable format.	du -h (Displays disk usage of all mounted filesystems)
du -i	Show free and used inodes on mounted filesystems.	du -i (Displays inode usage)
fdisk -l	List the disk partitions, their sizes, and types.	fdisk -l (Displays partition table details)
free -h	Display free and used memory in human-readable units.	free -h (Shows memory usage in human-readable format)
free -m	Display free and used memory in MB.	free -m (Shows memory usage in MB)
free -g	Display free and used memory in GB.	free -g (Shows memory usage in GB)

Process Management and Performance Monitoring

Command	Description	Example
&	Run the command or process in the background.	command & (Runs command in the background)
ps	Show process status. Often used with grep to filter results.	`ps aux
ps -e or ps -A	List all running processes.	ps -e (Shows all processes)
ps -ef	Display a detailed overview of all processes.	ps -ef (Shows full process list)
ps -U root -u root	Display all processes running under the root account.	ps -U root -u root (Shows root’s processes)
ps -eo pid,user,command	Display only PID, user, and command columns in process output.	ps -eo pid,user,command (Simplified process list)
top	Display a real-time, sorted list of processes.	top (Shows processes and system stats)
htop	Display a more advanced, interactive, and sorted list of processes with visual highlights.	htop (Interactive process viewer)
atop	Display detailed information about processes and hardware.	atop (Shows processes with hardware stats)
kill PID	Terminate a process by its process ID (PID).	kill 1234 (Kills process with PID 1234)
killall proc1	Kill all processes containing “proc1” in their name.	killall python3 (Kills all Python3 processes)
lsof	List all open files on the system.	lsof (Lists open files and processes)
lsof -u root	List all open files by the root user.	lsof -u root (Lists files opened by root)
mpstat 1	Display CPU statistics, updated every 1 second.	mpstat 1 (Displays processor stats)
vmstat 1	Display virtual memory statistics updated every 1 second.	vmstat 1 (Displays memory and system stats)
iostat 1	Display system I/O statistics for devices and partitions, updated every second.	iostat 1 (Shows I/O stats)
tail -n 100 /var/log/messages	Display the last 100 lines of system log messages.	tail -n 100 /var/log/messages (Shows latest log entries)
tcpdump -i eth0	Capture and display network packets on interface eth0.	tcpdump -i eth0 (Captures all packets on eth0)
tcpdump -i eth0 port 80	Monitor HTTP traffic (port 80) on the network interface eth0.	tcpdump -i eth0 port 80 (Monitors HTTP packets)
watch df -h	Run the df -h command periodically and display updated results.	watch df -h (Shows disk usage every few seconds)

User Management

Command	Description	Example
who	Display who is logged into the system.	who (Shows logged-in users)
w	Display what users are online and what they are doing.	w (Shows users and their activities)
users	List currently logged-in users.	users (Shows logged-in users)
whoami	Display the current logged-in user.	whoami (Shows current user)
id	Display the user ID (UID) and group IDs (GID) of the current user.	id (Displays UID and GID of the current user)
last	Show a list of users who have logged onto the system.	last (Displays last logged-in users)
groupadd gp1	Create a new group named gp1.	groupadd gp1 (Creates a group called gp1)
useradd -c "Alice Bob" -m ab1	Create a new user ab1 with the comment “Alice Bob” and a home directory.	useradd -c "Alice Bob" -m ab1 (Creates user ab1)
userdel ab1	Delete the user ab1.	userdel ab1 (Deletes user ab1)
usermod -aG gp1 ab1	Add user ab1 to the group gp1.	usermod -aG gp1 ab1 (Adds ab1 to group gp1)

Networking

Command	Description	Example
ifconfig	Display all network interfaces with IP addresses.	ifconfig (Shows network interfaces and IPs)
ifconfig -a	Display all network interfaces, including those that are down.	ifconfig -a (Shows all interfaces, even if down)
ifconfig eth0	Display IP and details of the eth0 network interface.	ifconfig eth0 (Shows details of eth0 interface)
ip a	Another command to display all network interfaces with IP addresses.	ip a (Shows interfaces and IPs)
ethtool eth0	Query or control the settings of the eth0 network interface.	ethtool eth0 (Shows settings for eth0)
netstat	Print network statistics, open sockets, routing tables, etc.	netstat (Displays network connections)
netstat -a	Show both listening and non-listening sockets.	netstat -a (Displays all sockets)
netstat -l	Show only listening sockets.	netstat -l (Displays only listening sockets)
netstat -nutlp	Show listening TCP and UDP ports, and the corresponding programs.	netstat -nutlp (Displays listening ports and processes)
ping host	Send an ICMP echo request (ping) to a host (hostname, domain name, or IP address).	ping google.com (Pings Google)
whois domain	Display WHOIS information for a domain.	whois example.com (Shows WHOIS data for example.com)
dig domain	Query DNS records for a domain.	dig example.com (Shows DNS info for example.com)
dig -x addr	Perform a reverse DNS lookup on an IP address.	dig -x 8.8.8.8 (Performs reverse DNS lookup on Google’s DNS)
host domain	Display the IP address associated with a domain.	host example.com (Shows IP address for example.com)
wget LINK	Download a file from a URL.	wget http://example.com/file.zip (Downloads file from URL)
curl LINK	Fetch and display the HTML source of a URL.	curl http://example.com (Displays the webpage source)

Installing New Programs: Package Management Overview

Linux Distribution	Package File Extension	Package Installer(s)
Debian / Ubuntu	.deb	apt, dpkg
Rocky / Fedora / Red Hat Enterprise Linux	.rpm	yum, dnf
Arch Linux / Manjaro / Garuda / Chakra	.pkg, .pacman, .pkg.tar(.xz/.zst/.gz)	pacman

Package Management Commands

Linux Distribution	Debian / Ubuntu	Rocky / Fedora / Red Hat Enterprise Linux	Arch Linux / Manjaro / Garuda / Chakra
Update list of packages available from remote repositories	sudo apt update	dnf check-update	pacman -Syy (Be cautious; use pacman -Syu instead)
Upgrade installed packages	sudo apt upgrade	sudo dnf upgrade	pacman -Syu
Find a package with keyword in the name	apt search keyword	dnf search keyword	pacman -Ss keyword
View description and summary information about a package	apt show package	dnf info package	pacman -Si package
Install a package (with appropriate file extension) on the local file system	sudo dpkg -i package.deb	sudo dnf install package.rpm	pacman -S package
Remove / uninstall a package	sudo apt remove package	sudo dnf erase package	pacman -R package

Additional Tips for Package Management

1. Debian/Ubuntu (apt):
   • To fix broken packages after installation: sudo apt --fix-broken install
   • To remove a package and its unused dependencies: sudo apt autoremove
2. Rocky/Fedora/RHEL (dnf):
   • To check for package updates: dnf check-update
   • To remove orphaned dependencies (unused packages): dnf autoremove
3. Arch Linux/Manjaro (pacman):
   • To clean the cache of downloaded packages (free up disk space): sudo pacman -Scc
   • To remove orphaned packages (dependencies no longer required): sudo pacman -Rns $(pacman -Qdtq)

Conclusion

Mastering these Linux commands will greatly improve your efficiency and productivity in the terminal. Start by practicing the basic commands, and as you grow more comfortable, explore more advanced options.

The Linux command line may seem intimidating at first, but with a little practice, you’ll soon be navigating and managing files like a pro. Happy learning!