Linux Command Line Flashcards: Essential Commands, Flags & Workflows
Practice essential Linux terminal commands through 100 task-first cards on paths, files, search, pipes, permissions, processes, archives, and system checks.
Tentang dek ini
Build reliable Linux command-line recall with 100 original, task-first flashcards. The sequence starts with help and navigation, then moves through files, text search, pipes and redirection, permissions, processes, archives, storage, remote access, and everyday Bash workflows.
The cards practice four useful mappings: a realistic task to a command shape; a command, flag, or shell operator to its effect; an output or exit-status cue to its meaning; and a close choice to the safer or more suitable tool. Related prompts are spaced apart so a nearby answer does not give away the next card.
This deck focuses on frequent Linux CLI decisions, not every option a command supports. It excludes Git, certification objectives, shell scripting as a subject, distro-specific package managers, destructive recursive examples, and advanced system administration.
The wording, examples, sequence, and cover are original. Facts were checked against POSIX, the GNU Coding Standards, GNU Coreutils, GNU Bash, GNU Grep, GNU Findutils, GNU tar, GNU gzip, GNU Diffutils, Linux manual pages, ncurses, OpenSSH, and curl documentation. Source links stay on the relevant cards. Third-party documentation, source titles, trademarks, and factual material remain subject to their own rights; the CC0 label applies only to the original deck material to the extent applicable rights exist.
Kartu dalam dek ini
Kartu 1
Pertanyaan
Open the manual page for a command.
Jawaban
Use
man COMMAND, for exampleman ls. It opens the installed manual entry when one is available.Source: man-pages: man(1).
Kartu 2
Pertanyaan
Print the current working directory.
Jawaban
Use
pwd. It prints the absolute path of the directory the shell is currently in.Source: GNU Coreutils:
pwd.Kartu 3
Pertanyaan
Create an empty file or update a file's timestamps.
Jawaban
Use
touch FILE. It creates an empty file if the path does not exist; otherwise it updates the selected timestamps.Source: GNU Coreutils:
touch.Kartu 4
Pertanyaan
Print a small text file to standard output.
Jawaban
Use
cat FILE. It copies the file's contents to standard output; use a pager such aslessfor long files.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cat.Kartu 5
Pertanyaan
Send one command's standard output into another command.
Jawaban
Use a pipe:
COMMAND1 | COMMAND2. The shell connects the first command's standard output to the second command's standard input.Source: GNU Bash: pipelines.
Kartu 6
Pertanyaan
Where do you see a file's permission bits in
ls -loutput?Jawaban
At the start of each entry, after the file-type character. A value such as
-rw-r--r--shows the type first, then user, group, and other permissions.Source: GNU Coreutils: long listing format.
Kartu 7
Pertanyaan
Take a quick snapshot of processes associated with the current terminal.
Jawaban
Use
ps. With its default selection, it gives a one-time process listing rather than a live display.Source: procps-ng:
ps.Kartu 8
Pertanyaan
Create an uncompressed tar archive from files or directories.
Jawaban
Use
tar -cf ARCHIVE.tar PATH....-ccreates an archive and-fnames the archive file.Source: GNU tar: create.
Kartu 9
Pertanyaan
Open an interactive shell on a remote machine over SSH.
Jawaban
Use
ssh USER@HOST. SSH connects to the remote host and can start an authenticated login session.Source: OpenSSH:
ssh.Kartu 10
Pertanyaan
Display the current environment variables.
Jawaban
Use
env. With no command or assignments, it prints the current environment.Source: GNU Coreutils:
env.Kartu 11
Pertanyaan
Ask a GNU command for its short built-in usage help.
Jawaban
Try
COMMAND --help. GNU command-line programs conventionally use--helpfor a brief usage summary; not every non-GNU command follows this convention.Source: GNU coding standards:
--help.Kartu 12
Pertanyaan
List the current directory's visible entries.
Jawaban
Use
ls. By default, names beginning with.are omitted.Source: GNU Coreutils:
ls.Kartu 13
Pertanyaan
Create a new directory.
Jawaban
Use
mkdir DIRECTORY. It creates the named directory when its parent already exists.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mkdir.Kartu 14
Pertanyaan
Read a long text file one screen at a time.
Jawaban
Use
less FILE. It is a pager: move through the file interactively and pressqto quit.Source: less: manual page.
Kartu 15
Pertanyaan
Write standard output to a file, replacing its previous contents.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND > FILE. The shell opens the file for output and truncates an existing regular file before the command writes to it.Source: GNU Bash: redirecting output.
Kartu 16
Pertanyaan
What do user, group, and other mean in a file mode?
Jawaban
They are three permission classes: the owning user, the owning group, and everyone else. Each class can have read, write, and execute bits.
Source: GNU Coreutils: mode structure.
Kartu 17
Pertanyaan
Show a broad, user-oriented snapshot of processes on a Linux system.
Jawaban
Use
ps aux. The BSD-styleaandxoptions broaden the selection, whileuselects a user-oriented format.Source: procps-ng:
ps.Kartu 18
Pertanyaan
Extract an uncompressed tar archive into the current directory.
Jawaban
Use
tar -xf ARCHIVE.tar.-xextracts and-fnames the archive file. Review unfamiliar archive contents before extracting them.Source: GNU tar: extract.
Kartu 19
Pertanyaan
Copy a file to or from a remote machine over SSH.
Jawaban
Use
scp SOURCE USER@HOST:DESTINATIONfor an upload, or reverse the remote and local paths for a download.Source: OpenSSH:
scp.Kartu 20
Pertanyaan
Print one environment variable by name.
Jawaban
Use
printenv NAME, for exampleprintenv PATH. It prints that variable's value and returns a nonzero status when the name is absent.Source: GNU Coreutils:
printenv.Kartu 21
Pertanyaan
Check whether Bash will treat a name as an alias, function, builtin, or executable file.
Jawaban
Use
type NAME. Bash reports how it would interpret the name.Source: GNU Bash:
type.Kartu 22
Pertanyaan
Include hidden entries in a directory listing.
Jawaban
Use
ls -a. It includes names beginning with., including.and...Kartu 23
Pertanyaan
Copy a file to another path.
Jawaban
Use
cp SOURCE DESTINATION. If the destination names an existing file,cpcan replace it, so add an interactive check when overwrites are uncertain.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cp.Kartu 24
Pertanyaan
Show the first 10 lines of a text file.
Jawaban
Use
head FILE. Its default output is the first 10 lines; use-n NUMBERto choose another count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
head.Kartu 25
Pertanyaan
Append standard output to a file without replacing its existing contents.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND >> FILE. The shell opens the file in append mode, creating it if needed.Kartu 26
Pertanyaan
What do read, write, and execute mean on a regular file?
Jawaban
Read allows reading the contents, write allows modifying the contents, and execute allows the file to be run as a program when its format is executable.
Source: GNU Coreutils: mode structure.
Kartu 27
Pertanyaan
Find process IDs by process name.
Jawaban
Use
pgrep PATTERN. It searches currently running processes and prints matching process IDs.Source: procps-ng:
pgrep.Kartu 28
Pertanyaan
Compress one file with gzip while keeping the original file.
Jawaban
Use
gzip -k FILE. GNU gzip writesFILE.gzand-kkeeps the input file.Source: GNU gzip manual.
Kartu 29
Pertanyaan
Fetch only a URL's response headers with curl.
Jawaban
Use
curl -I URL. It requests headers only; the server may respond differently than it would to a normal download.Source: curl:
--head.Kartu 30
Pertanyaan
Make a shell variable available to commands started from this Bash session.
Jawaban
Use
export NAME=value. Bash marks the name for inclusion in the environment of subsequently executed commands.Source: GNU Bash:
export.Kartu 31
Pertanyaan
Ask Bash which command it would run for a name.
Jawaban
Use
command -v NAME. It reports the command, builtin, function, alias, or executable Bash would use, and returns a nonzero status when none is found.Source: GNU Bash:
command.Kartu 32
Pertanyaan
Show a long directory listing with modes, owners, sizes, and timestamps.
Jawaban
Use
ls -l. The long format adds file type and mode, link count, owner, group, size, timestamp, and name.Source: GNU Coreutils: long listing format.
Kartu 33
Pertanyaan
Move or rename a file.
Jawaban
Use
mv SOURCE DESTINATION. Within one filesystem this commonly renames the path; it can also move it to another directory.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mv.Kartu 34
Pertanyaan
Show the last 10 lines of a text file.
Jawaban
Use
tail FILE. Its default output is the last 10 lines; use-n NUMBERto choose another count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tail.Kartu 35
Pertanyaan
Give a command standard input from a file.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND < FILE. The shell opens the file for reading on the command's standard input.Source: GNU Bash: redirecting input.
Kartu 36
Pertanyaan
What do read, write, and execute mean on a directory?
Jawaban
Read permits listing names, write permits changing directory entries, and execute permits traversal and access to entries by name. Creating or removing entries normally needs both write and execute permission.
Source: GNU Coreutils: mode structure.
Kartu 37
Pertanyaan
Watch a live, updating view of processes and resource use.
Jawaban
Use
top. It refreshes a process and system summary interactively; pressqto quit.Source: procps-ng:
top.Kartu 38
Pertanyaan
Show one path's total disk usage in a human-readable summary.
Jawaban
Use
du -sh PATH.-sreports one total and-hformats sizes for people.Source: GNU Coreutils:
du.Kartu 39
Pertanyaan
Download a URL using its remote file name.
Jawaban
Use
curl -O URL. curl saves the response under the file-name part of the URL; check the target directory before downloading.Source: curl:
--remote-name.Kartu 40
Pertanyaan
Search Bash command history interactively.
Jawaban
Press
Ctrl-Rand type part of the command. Bash Readline performs a reverse incremental search through history.Source: GNU Bash: reverse search.
Kartu 41
Pertanyaan
Search manual-page names and summaries by keyword.
Jawaban
Use
man -k KEYWORD. It searches the manual-page database's short descriptions, likeapropos KEYWORD.Source: man-pages:
man.Kartu 42
Pertanyaan
Show a long listing with human-readable file sizes.
Jawaban
Use
ls -lh.-lselects long format and-huses human-readable size units.Source: GNU Coreutils: block size.
Kartu 43
Pertanyaan
Ask before
cpoverwrites an existing destination file.Jawaban
Use
cp -i SOURCE DESTINATION.-iprompts before replacing an existing destination.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cp.Kartu 44
Pertanyaan
Keep watching new lines appended to a log file.
Jawaban
Use
tail -f FILE.-fkeeps the command running and prints data as the file grows; stop it withCtrl-C.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tail.Kartu 45
Pertanyaan
Write only a command's error stream to a file.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND 2> ERRORS.log. File descriptor2is standard error, so standard output stays unchanged.Source: GNU Bash: redirections.
Kartu 46
Pertanyaan
Give the file owner execute permission without changing the other mode bits.
Jawaban
Use
chmod u+x FILE. In symbolic mode,umeans owner,+adds a bit, andxmeans execute.Source: GNU Coreutils: symbolic modes.
Kartu 47
Pertanyaan
Ask a process to terminate gracefully by PID.
Jawaban
Use
kill PID. By default,killsendsSIGTERM, which gives the process a chance to handle the signal and clean up.Source: Linux man-pages:
kill.Kartu 48
Pertanyaan
Show free and used space for mounted filesystems in readable units.
Jawaban
Use
df -h. It reports filesystem space and formats sizes in powers of 1024 for easier reading.Source: GNU Coreutils:
df.Kartu 49
Pertanyaan
Check whether a host responds to ICMP echo requests.
Jawaban
Use
ping HOST. It sends ICMP echo requests and reports replies and packet statistics; a blocked reply does not prove the host is down.Source: iputils:
ping.Kartu 50
Pertanyaan
Create a short Bash name for a longer command.
Jawaban
Use
alias NAME='COMMAND', for examplealias ll='ls -lah'. The alias lasts for the current shell unless you add it to shell startup configuration.Source: GNU Bash: aliases.
100 kartu
Linux Command Line Flashcards: Essential Commands, Flags & Workflows
Pelajari dek ini gratisNibomo akan terbuka agar Anda bisa mulai belajar.
Kartu 51
Pertanyaan
Interrupt the foreground command from the terminal.
Jawaban
Press
Ctrl-C. The terminal normally sendsSIGINTto the foreground process group.Source: GNU Bash: signals.
Kartu 52
Pertanyaan
Change to another directory.
Jawaban
Use
cd PATH.cdis a shell builtin because it changes the shell's own working directory.Source: GNU Bash:
cd.Kartu 53
Pertanyaan
Ask before
mvoverwrites an existing destination file.Jawaban
Use
mv -i SOURCE DESTINATION.-iprompts before replacing an existing destination.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mv.Kartu 54
Pertanyaan
Count the lines in a text file.
Jawaban
Use
wc -l FILE.-lprints the newline count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
wc.Kartu 55
Pertanyaan
Send standard output and standard error to the same file.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND > OUTPUT.log 2>&1. The order matters: standard error is redirected to the destination that standard output has at that point.Kartu 56
Pertanyaan
How do octal digits encode read, write, and execute permissions?
Jawaban
Use
4for read,2for write, and1for execute, then add the values for each of user, group, and other. For example,6means read plus write.Source: GNU Coreutils: numeric modes.
Kartu 57
Pertanyaan
Force a process to stop only after graceful termination has failed.
Jawaban
Use
kill -KILL PIDas a last resort.SIGKILLcannot be caught or ignored, so the process cannot run its normal cleanup.Source: Linux man-pages: signal.
Kartu 58
Pertanyaan
List block devices in a tree without changing them.
Jawaban
Use
lsblk. It reads device and filesystem information and prints a tree by default.Source: util-linux:
lsblk.Kartu 59
Pertanyaan
Clear the display, or recover a terminal whose state is corrupted.
Jawaban
Use
clearfor a normal screen clear. Useresetwhen the terminal's modes are garbled and need reinitialization.Source: ncurses:
clearandreset.Kartu 60
Pertanyaan
Move to the parent directory.
Jawaban
Use
cd ... In a path,..names the parent directory.Source: POSIX: pathname resolution.
Kartu 61
Pertanyaan
Remove one file without recursive deletion.
Jawaban
Use
rm FILE. It removes the named directory entry; this is not a trash operation, so verify the path first.Source: GNU Coreutils:
rm.Kartu 62
Pertanyaan
Print lines in a file that contain a pattern.
Jawaban
Use
grep 'PATTERN' FILE. grep prints matching lines; quote the pattern so the shell does not reinterpret special characters.Source: GNU Grep manual.
Kartu 63
Pertanyaan
Discard a command's standard output.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND > /dev/null./dev/nulldiscards bytes written to it; standard error is still visible unless redirected separately.Source: Linux man-pages:
null.Kartu 64
Pertanyaan
Change a file's owning user.
Jawaban
Use
chown USER FILE. Changing ownership is permission-sensitive and commonly requires elevated privileges.Source: GNU Coreutils:
chown.Kartu 65
Pertanyaan
List the jobs managed by the current Bash session.
Jawaban
Use
jobs. It lists the shell's active jobs and their states.Source: GNU Bash: job-control builtins.
Kartu 66
Pertanyaan
Show kernel and system identity details in one line.
Jawaban
Use
uname -a. It prints all availableunamefields, including the kernel name and release, machine, and other supported details.Source: GNU Coreutils:
uname.Kartu 67
Pertanyaan
Check the previous foreground pipeline's exit status in Bash.
Jawaban
Read
$?immediately after the command. Bash sets it to the most recently completed foreground pipeline's status;0conventionally means success.Sources: GNU Bash: special parameters; GNU Bash: exit status.
Kartu 68
Pertanyaan
Return to the previous working directory.
Jawaban
Use
cd -. Bash changes to$OLDPWDand prints the resulting directory.Source: GNU Bash:
cd.Kartu 69
Pertanyaan
Ask before removing a file.
Jawaban
Use
rm -i FILE.-iprompts before each removal.Source: GNU Coreutils:
rm.Kartu 70
Pertanyaan
Search a file for a pattern without case distinctions.
Jawaban
Use
grep -i 'PATTERN' FILE.-iignores case distinctions while matching.Source: GNU Grep: matching control.
Kartu 71
Pertanyaan
Show command output on screen and save a copy to a file.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND | tee FILE.teecopies standard input to standard output and to the named file.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tee.Kartu 72
Pertanyaan
Change a file's owning group.
Jawaban
Use
chgrp GROUP FILE. The operation is limited by your ownership, group membership, and system privileges.Source: GNU Coreutils:
chgrp.Kartu 73
Pertanyaan
Suspend the foreground job, then continue it in the background.
Jawaban
Press
Ctrl-Z, then runbg. The terminal normally stops the foreground job, and Bash resumes that job asynchronously.Source: GNU Bash: job control basics.
Kartu 74
Pertanyaan
Show available and used memory in human-readable units.
Jawaban
Use
free -h. It reads memory counters exposed by the kernel and formats the values for people.Source: procps-ng:
free.Kartu 75
Pertanyaan
Change to your home directory.
Jawaban
Use
cd ~or simplycdin Bash. Tilde expansion turns~into your home directory path, andcdwith no argument uses$HOME.Sources: GNU Bash: tilde expansion; GNU Bash:
cd.Kartu 76
Pertanyaan
Sort text lines using the current locale's default ordering.
Jawaban
Use
sort FILE. It writes the sorted lines to standard output and does not change the input file unless you explicitly request an output file.Source: GNU Coreutils:
sort.Kartu 77
Pertanyaan
Create a nested directory path whose parents may not exist.
Jawaban
Use
mkdir -p PARENT/CHILD.-pcreates missing parent directories and does not fail merely because a named directory already exists.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mkdir.Kartu 78
Pertanyaan
Run a second command only if the first command succeeds.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND1 && COMMAND2. Bash runs the right-hand command only when the left-hand command returns status0.Source: GNU Bash: AND and OR lists.
Kartu 79
Pertanyaan
Print matching lines with their line numbers.
Jawaban
Use
grep -n 'PATTERN' FILE.-nprefixes each matching line with its one-based line number.Source: GNU Grep: output line prefix control.
Kartu 80
Pertanyaan
Set a regular file so the owner can read and write it while everyone else can only read it.
Jawaban
Use
chmod 644 FILE. The digits mean ownerrw-, groupr--, and otherr--.Source: GNU Coreutils: numeric modes.
Kartu 81
Pertanyaan
Translate characters in a text stream.
Jawaban
Use
tr SET1 SET2, reading from standard input. For example,tr '[:lower:]' '[:upper:]'maps lowercase characters to uppercase according to the locale.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tr.Kartu 82
Pertanyaan
Bring a Bash job back to the foreground.
Jawaban
Use
fg %JOB, orfgfor the current job. Bash resumes the selected job in the foreground.Source: GNU Bash: job-control builtins.
Kartu 83
Pertanyaan
How does an absolute path differ from a relative path?
Jawaban
An absolute path starts with
/and is resolved from the filesystem root. A relative path is resolved from the current working directory.Source: POSIX: pathname resolution.
Kartu 84
Pertanyaan
Find paths below the current directory whose base name matches
*.log.Jawaban
Use
find . -name '*.log'. Quote the pattern sofind, not the shell, performs the name match.Source: GNU Findutils: name test.
Kartu 85
Pertanyaan
Remove an empty directory.
Jawaban
Use
rmdir DIRECTORY. It removes directories only when they are empty, which makes it safer than a recursive removal for this task.Source: GNU Coreutils:
rmdir.Kartu 86
Pertanyaan
Run a fallback command only if the first command fails.
Jawaban
Use
COMMAND1 || COMMAND2. Bash runs the right-hand command only when the left-hand command returns a nonzero status.Source: GNU Bash: AND and OR lists.
Kartu 87
Pertanyaan
Sort lines by their leading numeric value rather than lexically.
Jawaban
Use
sort -n FILE. Numeric sort orders lines by numeric key value instead of lexicographic text order.Source: GNU Coreutils:
sort.Kartu 88
Pertanyaan
Set a directory so the owner can modify it while everyone can list and traverse it.
Jawaban
Use
chmod 755 DIRECTORY. The digits mean ownerrwx, groupr-x, and otherr-x.Source: GNU Coreutils: numeric modes.
Kartu 89
Pertanyaan
Print one delimited field from each input line.
Jawaban
Use
cut -d CHARACTER -f FIELD FILE. For example,cut -d: -f1 FILEprints the first colon-delimited field.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cut.Kartu 90
Pertanyaan
Start a command as an asynchronous Bash job.
Jawaban
Add
&:COMMAND &. Bash starts the command in the background and returns to the prompt without waiting for it to finish.Source: GNU Bash: asynchronous lists.
Kartu 91
Pertanyaan
What does
./toolsay about where Bash should findtool?Jawaban
It names
toolin the current directory. The./is an explicit relative path, so Bash does not need to search$PATH.Sources: POSIX: pathname resolution; GNU Bash: command search.
Kartu 92
Pertanyaan
Search recursively through files under a directory for matching lines.
Jawaban
Use
grep -r 'PATTERN' DIRECTORY.-rreads files under each directory recursively and prints matching lines.Kartu 93
Pertanyaan
Create a second hard-link name for an existing file.
Jawaban
Use
ln TARGET NEW_NAME. Both names refer to the same underlying file; hard links normally cannot cross filesystems or target directories.Source: GNU Coreutils: hard links.
Kartu 94
Pertanyaan
Keep only one line from each adjacent run of duplicate lines.
Jawaban
Use
uniq. It compares adjacent lines, so sort the input first when equal lines may be separated.Source: GNU Coreutils:
uniq.Kartu 95
Pertanyaan
Keep every character literal in a Bash argument, including
$and spaces.Jawaban
Wrap the text in single quotes:
'literal $HOME text'. Single quotes preserve each enclosed character literally; a single quote itself cannot appear directly inside that pair.Source: GNU Bash: single quotes.
Kartu 96
Pertanyaan
What does a path beginning with
/mean?Jawaban
It is an absolute path resolved from the filesystem root directory, not from the current directory.
Source: POSIX: pathname resolution.
Kartu 97
Pertanyaan
Find only regular files below the current directory.
Jawaban
Use
find . -type f. Theftype test matches regular files.Source: GNU Findutils: type test.
Kartu 98
Pertanyaan
Create a symbolic link that points to another path.
Jawaban
Use
ln -s TARGET LINK_NAME. A symbolic link stores a pathname; it can cross filesystems and can become dangling if the target path disappears.Source: GNU Coreutils: symbolic links.
Kartu 99
Pertanyaan
Allow variable expansion but keep spaces inside one Bash argument.
Jawaban
Use double quotes, for example
"$HOME/My Files". Double quotes preserve the argument while still allowing parameter expansion and command substitution.Source: GNU Bash: double quotes.
Kartu 100
Pertanyaan
Show how two text files differ.
Jawaban
Use
diff FILE1 FILE2. It reports the changes needed to make the files match; a status of0means no differences,1means differences, and values above1mean trouble.Source: GNU Diffutils:
diff.
100 kartu
Linux Command Line Flashcards: Essential Commands, Flags & Workflows
Nibomo akan terbuka agar Anda bisa mulai belajar.