Section 1.1: Basic File Management Commands

1. ls

   The ls command lists files and directories within the current folder.

   

For more detailed information, use ls -l, which displays file types, ownership, and sizes.

2. cd

   The cd command allows you to navigate between directories.

   

• cd ~ takes you to your home directory.

  • cd - switches back to the last directory you were in.

3. ping

   The ping command tests your network connection to a specific address.

   

4. pwd

   This command outputs your current directory path.

   

5. mv

   Use mv to rename files or relocate them to a different directory.

   

For example, you can move list.txt into a folder named list, or rename it to list_v2.txt.

6. mkdir

   This command creates a new directory.

   

7. rmdir

   In contrast, rmdir deletes an empty directory.

8. grep

   The grep command searches for specific strings within files.

   

9. rm

   This command removes files.

   

10. cp

    The cp command creates copies of files or directories.

    

For example, list_replica.txt is a copy of list.txt.

11. ps

    The ps command displays currently running processes.

    

• ps -A shows all processes.

  • ps -aux provides detailed information about both user and system processes.

  

Key columns include USER, PID, %CPU, %MEM, VSZ, and RSS.

12. more

    The more command lets you view the contents of text files.

    

13. nslookup

    This command retrieves domain names or IP addresses.

    

14. traceroute

    Use this command to trace the path of a packet to its destination.

    

15. nano

    nano is a simple text editor available in Terminal.

    

16. gcc (if installed)

    If you have it installed, gcc compiles C programming files. You can write C code in Nano and compile it using GCC.

    

17. python2

    Python 2 is pre-installed on Mac and can run Python scripts.

    

18. chmod

    This command sets file permissions.

    

Remember, you can always terminate a running command with Ctrl + C.