Ubuntu is one of the most popular distributions of Linux, known for its user-friendly interface and robust features. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, understanding basic Ubuntu commands is essential for navigating and managing your system efficiently. In this article, we’ll explore 25 fundamental Ubuntu commands along with detailed descriptions, syntax, examples, and explanations.

1. ls – List Directory Contents

The ls command is used to list directory contents.

Syntax:

ls [options] [directory]

Example:

ls Desktop/

Listing content inside Desktop directory

This command lists the contents of the Desktop directory.

2. cd – Change Directory

The cd command is used to change the current working directory.

Syntax:

cd [directory]

The cd command is used to change the current working directory.

Example:

cd Desktop/

changing directory

This command changes the current directory to Desktop/. Here we have used pwd command to display the current directory.

3. pwd – Print Working Directory

The pwd command displays the current working directory.

Syntax:

pwd

Example:

pwd

displaying the current directory

This command prints the current working directory.

4. mkdir – Make Directory

The mkdir command is used to create a new directory.

Syntax:

mkdir [directory_name]

Example:

mkdir new_folder

creaking directory

This command creates a new directory named new_folder. Here we have used ls command to display the files in the current directory.

5. rm – Remove

The rm command is used to remove files or directories.

Syntax:

rm [options] [file/directory]

Example:

rm new_file

removing file

This command removes the file named new_file. Here we have used ls command to display the files in the current directory.

6. cp – Copy

The cp command is used to copy files or directories.

Syntax:

cp [options]  [destination]

Example:

cp file1.txt file2.txt

This command copies file1.txt to file2.txt.

7. mv – Move

The mv command is used to move files or directories.

Syntax:

mv [options]  [destination]

Example:

mv file1.txt /path/to/new/location

This command moves file1.txt to /path/to/new/location.

8. touch – Create Empty File

The touch command is used to create an empty file.

Syntax:

touch [file_name]

Example:

touch newfile.txt

creating text file

This command creates an empty file named newfile.txt. Here we have used ls command to display the files in the current directory.

9. cat – Concatenate and Display

The cat command is used to display the contents of a file.

Syntax:

cat [file]

Example:

cat newfile.txt

displaying text inside text file

This command displays the contents of newfile.txt.

10. nano – Text Editor

The nano command launches the Nano text editor.

Syntax:

nano [file_name]

Example:

nano newfile.txt

editing text file

This command opens newfile.txt in the Nano text editor.

11. grep – Search

The grep command is used to search for patterns in files.

Syntax:

grep [options] [pattern] [file]

Example:

grep "pattern" file.txt

searching pattern inside the text file

This command searches for the specified pattern in file.txt.

12. sudo – Superuser Do

The sudo command allows users to execute commands with superuser privileges.

Syntax:

sudo [command]

Example:

sudo apt-get update

updating package manager

This command updates the package lists using apt-get with superuser privileges.

13. apt-get – Package Manager

The apt-get command is used to manage software packages.

Syntax:

sudo apt-get [options] [command]

Example:

sudo apt-get install package_name

This command installs a package named package_name.

14. dpkg – Package Manager

The dpkg command is used to install, remove, and manage Debian packages.

Syntax:

sudo dpkg [options] [command]

Example:

sudo dpkg -i package.deb

This command installs a Debian package named package.deb.

15. wget – Download

The wget command is used to download files from the internet.

Syntax:

wget [URL]

Example:

wget http://example.com/file.zip

This command downloads a file named file.zip from the specified URL.

16. chmod – Change Mode

The chmod command is used to change file permissions.

Syntax:

chmod [options] [mode] [file]

Example:

chmod 755 file.sh

This command changes the permissions of file.sh to 755.

17. chown – Change Owner

The chown command is used to change file ownership.

Syntax:

chown [options] [owner:group] [file]

Example:

chown user:group file.txt

This command changes the owner and group of file.txt.

18. tar – Tape Archive

The tar command is used to create and extract tar archives.

Syntax:

tar [options] [archive_name.tar.gz] [files/directories]

Example:

tar -cvzf archive.tar.gz directory

This command creates a compressed tar archive named archive.tar.gz from the directory

19. uname – Print System Information

The uname command prints system information such as kernel version and architecture.

Syntax:

uname [options]

Example:

uname -a

This command displays all available system information.

20. date – Display Date and Time

The date command displays the current date and time.

Syntax:

date [options]

Example:

date

displaying date

This command prints the current date and time.

21. shutdown – Shutdown or Restart System

The shutdown command is used to shut down or restart the system.

Syntax:

sudo shutdown [options]

Example:

sudo shutdown -h now

This command shuts down the system immediately.

22. ps – Process Status

The ps command displays information about active processes.

Syntax:

ps [options]

Example:

ps aux

list all running process

This command lists all running processes.

23. top – Display System Activity

The top command displays real-time information about system activity.

Syntax:

top

Example:

top

displaying dynamic information

This command displays dynamic information about system processes.

24. du – Disk Usage

The du command is used to estimate file and directory space usage.

Syntax:

du [options] [directory]

Example:

du -sh /path/to/directory

This command displays the disk usage of the specified directory.

25. df – Disk Free

The df command displays disk space usage for filesystems.

Syntax:

df [options]

Example:

df -h

display disk space

This command displays disk space usage in a human-readable format.

Conclusion

These 25 basic Ubuntu commands provide a solid foundation for navigating and managing your Linux system effectively. As you continue to explore Ubuntu and Linux, you’ll discover more commands and techniques to streamline your workflow and enhance your productivity. Experiment with these commands in your terminal to become more proficient in using Ubuntu.