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Server Command Line Interface: Mastering the Terminal

This chapter covers the most important aspect of Linux: the terminal. The terminal is the beating heart of Linux, enabling you to accomplish virtually anything. For the first eight years I used Linux, I relied exclusively on the terminal, never even considering a graphical interface. The terminal is reliable, quick, and efficient, making it an indispensable tool for Linux users.

Pro Tip: The terminal is always accessible. If you're stuck on a black screen or graphical interface, press Ctrl + Alt + F2 or Ctrl + Alt + F3 to switch to a terminal. To return to the graphical interface, press Ctrl + Alt + F7.

Videos: How to Make Bash Terminal look and feel GREAT! https://links.thelinuxbook.com/prettybash

Types of Terminals

  • TTY: A terminal connected to a physical device, such as a keyboard and monitor
  • GUI Terminal: A terminal emulator that provides a graphical interface for command-line operations, such as GNOME Terminal, Konsole, or xterm

TTY is used for direct interaction with the system, while GUI terminals provide a more user-friendly experience with features like tabs, copy-paste, and customizable appearance. TTY is often used for system recovery or when the graphical interface is unavailable or malfunctioning.

To access a TTY terminal, you can use the following key combinations:

  • Ctrl + Alt + F1 to Ctrl + Alt + F6: Switch to different TTY terminals (TTY1 to TTY6)
  • Ctrl + Alt + F7: Return to the graphical interface (usually TTY7)

GUI Terminals are typically launched from the applications menu or by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T in most desktop environments or hotkey like Super + Enter in many Tiled Window Managers (TWM).

  • GNOME Terminal: Default terminal for GNOME desktop environments, supports tabs and profiles
  • Konsole: Default terminal for KDE Plasma, highly customizable with split views and profiles
  • Alacritty: A fast, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator with a focus on performance and simplicity
  • Kitty: A feature-rich terminal emulator with support for graphics
  • Terminator: Allows multiple terminal windows in a single window, with customizable layouts

Directory Movement Commands and Examples:

  • cd (change directory):
    • cd .. (move up a directory)
    • cd name (move into the specified directory)
    • cd / (move to the root directory)
    • cd ~ (move to the home directory, e.g., /home/titus)
    • zoxide - A better package for navigating the file system, using fuzzy finding and remembering past directories. _Note: zoxide is a third-party tool that can be installed via your package manager. Watch the video I did on Zoxide: https://links.thelinuxbook.com/zoxide
  • ls (list files):
    • ls -a (show all files, including hidden ones)
    • ls -l (long listing format showing permissions)
  • rm (remove files):
    • rm -rf (remove files/directories recursively and forcefully)
    • rmdir (remove empty directories)
    • trash-cli - An alternative to rm that moves files to the trash instead of permanently deleting them.
  • cp (copy files):
    • cp -r (copy files and subdirectories recursively)
    • rsync - A more efficient tool for copying or syncing large amounts of files.
  • mv (move files):
    • mv file1.txt file2.txt (rename or move files)
    • mv /path/to/file /new/path/ (move a file to a new location)
  • pwd (print working directory):
    • Displays the current directory path.
  • find (search for files):
    • find /path/to/search -name "filename" (search for a file by name)
    • find /path/to/search -type d -name "dirname" (search for a directory by name)
    • fd - A faster alternative to find with a simpler syntax.
  • locate (find files by name):
    • locate filename (find files by name using a pre-built index)
    • updatedb (update the locate database, usually run automatically by the system)
  • tree (display directory structure):
    • tree (display the directory structure in a tree-like format)
    • tree -L 2 (limit the depth of the tree display to 2 levels)
  • ln (create links):
    • ln -s /path/to/original /path/to/link (create a symbolic link)
    • ln /path/to/original /path/to/link (create a hard link)
  • chmod (change file permissions):
    • chmod 755 file (set permissions to read, write, and execute for owner, and read and execute for group and others)
    • chmod +x script.sh (make a script executable)
  • chown (change file ownership):
    • chown user:group file (change ownership of a file to a specific user and group)
    • chown -R user:group /path/to/directory (change ownership recursively for a directory)
  • stat (display file or filesystem status):
    • stat file (show detailed information about a file, including size, permissions, and timestamps)
    • stat /path/to/directory (show information about a directory)
  • du (disk usage):
    • du -h (display disk usage in human-readable format)
    • du -sh /path/to/directory (show total size of a directory)
  • df (disk space usage):
    • df -h (display disk space usage in human-readable format)
    • df -i (show inode usage instead of disk space)

Directory Layout and File System Overview

  • / - Root directory
  • /bin - System executable files
  • /boot - Bootloader files
  • /dev - Device files (requires mounting to browse)
  • /etc - System configuration files
  • /home - User files and configuration files
  • /media - Mounted external media
  • /mnt - Temporary mount points
  • /opt - Optional files
  • /root - Root user files and configurations
  • /tmp - Temporary files
  • /usr - System resources
  • /var - Logs, databases, and other variable data

Most interactions with the file system occur within the /home/user directory. This includes configuration files and executable programs. Direct editing of system-wide configuration files in /etc or adding programs to /bin should be done sparingly.

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