Essential Linux Commands for Developers

Published: March 10, 2023

This post covers essential Linux commands for daily development tasks, from file manipulation to process management and networking utilities.

File System Navigation and Manipulation

Mastering commands like ls, cd, pwd, mkdir, rm, cp, and mv is fundamental for navigating and managing files and directories in Linux. These commands allow you to list contents, change directories, print the current working directory, create new directories, remove files, copy files, and move/rename files respectively.

Process Management

Commands such as ps, top, kill, and htop (if installed) are vital for monitoring and managing running processes. ps shows current processes, top provides a dynamic real-time view of running processes, and kill is used to terminate processes by their Process ID (PID).

Networking Tools

For network diagnostics and configuration, ip addr (or ifconfig), ping, traceroute, netstat, and ssh are indispensable. These tools help in checking network interfaces, testing connectivity, tracing network paths, displaying network connections, and securely connecting to remote servers.

Understanding and regularly using these commands will significantly boost your productivity in a Linux environment.