Basic Linux commands

If you're new to Linux servers, knowing just the commands below lets you do most tasks. Connect with SSH and try typing them in as shown.

Moving around and viewing files

pwd                 # The folder you're in now
ls -al              # List files in the current folder (including hidden files)
cd /var/www         # Change folder
cd ~                # Go to your home folder
cat myfile          # Show a file's contents
less myfile         # View a long file (q to exit)

Creating, copying, moving and deleting files and folders

mkdir folder                # Create a folder
cp orig copy                # Copy a file (for folders, cp -r)
mv oldname newname          # Rename / move
rm myfile                   # Delete a file
rm -r folder                # Delete a whole folder

⚠️ Linux has no recycle bin. Files deleted with rm can't be recovered, so use it carefully.

Editing files (nano)

nano myfile

After editing, save with Ctrl + O → Enter, and exit with Ctrl + X.

Administrator privileges (sudo)

When changing system settings or installing programs, put sudo in front of the command.

sudo apt update             # Refresh the list of programs you can install
sudo apt upgrade -y         # Update all installed programs
sudo apt install -y htop    # Install a program

Checking server status

df -h          # Disk usage
free -h        # Memory usage
htop           # See which programs use the most CPU/memory (q to exit)
uptime         # How long the server has been on

Managing services (background programs)

Programs like web servers and DBs run as services.

sudo systemctl status nginx     # Check status
sudo systemctl restart nginx    # Restart
sudo systemctl enable nginx     # Start automatically at boot
journalctl -u nginx -f          # View live logs (Ctrl + C to exit)

Stopping a running program

ps aux | grep name      # Find the program (the second column is the PID)
kill PID_NUM            # Ask it to stop
kill -9 PID_NUM         # Force it to stop

Rebooting

sudo reboot

Clicking the Reboot button on your Dashboard does the same thing. As a next step, we recommend Basic server security setup.