#projects #pc

The command line

12 months ago, I would not have dared touch the command line. The terminal was the purview of hackers and based computer-nerd giga-chads and I was not one of them. I was scared I would break something and brick my computer. This is an actual possiblity, but oon’t let that put you off.

I use it everyday to ssh into my homelab, to launch a local development server or to programatically run scripts to reorganise or backup files.

The command line (also called the terminal) is a text-based tool that lets you talk directly to your computer’s operating system by typing commands instead of clicking on icons. When you enter a command, a program called the shell interprets your instructions, executes them, and displays the results right in the terminal window.

While it can look intimidating at first, the command line is an incredibly efficient tool. You can use it to:

Automate repetitive tasks: Rapidly rename, move, or organize hundreds of files at once.
Install developer tools: Quickly download and manage software like Homebrew, Python, or FFmpeg.
Navigate your system: Explore folders and manage files far faster than dragging and dropping in your file manager.

This guy is the GOAT at teaching bash. You will never match his steez. You suck at Programming

I’ll be posting some projects, including one of how to glitch photos and videos, that will require you to use the command line. Below is a list of simple commands to get you started.

Command	What it does
`pwd`	Print the working directory
`cd <directory>`	Go to a directory
`cd ..`	Go up one directory
`ls`	List directory contents
`ls -la`	List all files with details
`tree`	Show a directory tree, if installed

File operations

Command	What it does
`touch <file>`	Create an empty file
`mkdir <dir>`	Create a directory
`mkdir -p <dir/subdir>`	Create a directory and its parents
`cp <src> <dest>`	Copy a file
`mv <old> <new>`	Move or rename a file
`rm <file>`	Delete a file
`rm -rf <dir>`	Delete a directory and its contents
`cat <file>`	Display file contents
`less <file>`	View a file one page at a time
`head <file>`	Show the first 10 lines
`tail <file>`	Show the last 10 lines
`tail -f <file>`	Follow a file as it grows

Searching

Command	What it does
`find . -name "*.txt"`	Find text files by name
`grep "pattern" file`	Search for a pattern in a file
`grep -r "pattern" .`	Search recursively through files
`which <command>`	Find a command’s location
`locate <file>`	Find a file quickly; `updatedb` may be needed

System information

Command	What it does
`df -h`	Show disk space in human-readable format
`du -sh <dir>`	Show directory size
`ps aux`	List running processes
`top`	Monitor running processes
`free -h`	Show memory usage
`uname -a`	Show system information
`whoami`	Show the current user
`date`	Show the current date and time

Permissions

Command	What it does
`chmod 755 <file>`	Set file permissions (`rwxr-xr-x`)
`chown user:group file`	Change file owner and group
`stat <file>`	Show file information

Networking

Command	What it does
`ping <host>`	Test network connectivity
`curl <url>`	Download or send data
`wget <url>`	Download a file
`ssh user@host`	Connect to a remote host
`scp file user@host:`	Copy files to or from a remote host

Process control

Command	What it does
`Ctrl+C`	Kill the current process
`Ctrl+Z`	Suspend the current process
`bg`	Resume a suspended process in the background
`fg`	Bring a process to the foreground
`kill <PID>`	Stop a process by its process ID
`killall <name>`	Stop processes with a given name

Redirection

Command	What it does
`command > file`	Redirect output to a file
`command >> file`	Append output to a file
`command < file`	Read input from a file
`command1 \\| command2`	Pipe output from one command to another

Compression

Command	What it does
`tar -czf archive.tar.gz dir/`	Create a compressed archive
`tar -xzf archive.tar.gz`	Extract a compressed archive
`zip -r archive.zip dir/`	Create a ZIP archive
`unzip archive.zip`	Extract a compressed archive

Shortcuts

Shortcut	What it does
`!!`	Repeat the last command
`!$`	Use the last argument from the previous command
`history`	Show command history
`history \\| grep <cmd>`	Search command history
`Ctrl+R`	Search command history interactively
`Tab`	Auto-complete a filename or command
`Ctrl+A`	Move the cursor to the beginning of the line
`Ctrl+E`	Move the cursor to the end of the line
`Ctrl+U`	Clear from the cursor to the beginning of the line
`Ctrl+K`	Clear from the cursor to the end of the line