Linux Commands

Linux command‑line tools are the backbone of reconnaissance, exploitation, and post‑exploitation on Unix‑like systems.

Common Commands

Command	Description	Usage
`pwd`	Print working directory	`pwd [OPTIONS]`
`cd`	Change directory	`cd [DIRECTORY]`
`ls`	List directory contents	`ls [OPTIONS] [FILE...]`
`mkdir`	Create directory	`mkdir [OPTIONS] DIRECTORY`
`rmdir`	Remove empty directory	`rmdir DIRECTORY`
`cp`	Copy files or directories	`cp SOURCE DEST`
`mv`	Move or rename files/directories	`mv SOURCE DEST`
`rm`	Delete files or directories	`rm [OPTIONS] FILE...`
`touch`	Create empty file or update timestamp	`touch FILENAME`
`ln`	Create hard or symbolic links	`ln [OPTIONS] TARGET LINK_NAME`
`find`	Search for files and directories	`find [PATH] [OPTIONS] [EXPRESSION]`
`chmod`	Change file permissions	`chmod [OPTIONS] MODE FILE`
`chown`	Change file ownership (user)	`chown [OPTIONS] USER FILE`
`chgrp`	Change group ownership	`chgrp [OPTIONS] GROUP FILE`
`umask`	Set default file permission mask	`umask [MASK]`
`tar`	Archive files into tarball	`tar -czf ARCHIVE.tar.gz FILES`
`gzip`	Compress files using Gzip	`gzip FILE`
`zip`	Compress files into ZIP archive	`zip ARCHIVE.zip FILES`

Command	Description	Usage
`whoami`	Show current user	`whoami`
`id`	Display user/group IDs	`id [USERNAME]`
`df`	Disk usage overview	`df [OPTIONS]`
`history`	List previously executed commands	`history`
`ps`	Display running processes	`ps aux`
`top`	Real-time system process monitor	`top`
`kill`	Terminate process by PID	`kill [-9] PID`
`pkill`	Kill processes by name	`pkill PROCESS_NAME`
`pgrep`	Search for processes by name	`pgrep PROCESS_NAME`

Command	Description	Usage
`ping`	Test network connectivity (ICMP)	`ping [OPTIONS] DESTINATION`
`curl`	Retrieve data from URLs / APIs	`curl [OPTIONS] URL`
`ssh`	Secure remote shell & tunnelling	`ssh [OPTIONS] USER@HOST`