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.
Kad dalam dek ini
Kad 1
Soalan
Open the manual page for a command.
Jawapan
Use
man COMMAND, for exampleman ls. It opens the installed manual entry when one is available.Source: man-pages: man(1).
Kad 2
Soalan
Print the current working directory.
Jawapan
Use
pwd. It prints the absolute path of the directory the shell is currently in.Source: GNU Coreutils:
pwd.Kad 3
Soalan
Create an empty file or update a file's timestamps.
Jawapan
Use
touch FILE. It creates an empty file if the path does not exist; otherwise it updates the selected timestamps.Source: GNU Coreutils:
touch.Kad 4
Soalan
Print a small text file to standard output.
Jawapan
Use
cat FILE. It copies the file's contents to standard output; use a pager such aslessfor long files.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cat.Kad 5
Soalan
Send one command's standard output into another command.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 6
Soalan
Where do you see a file's permission bits in
ls -loutput?Jawapan
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.
Kad 7
Soalan
Take a quick snapshot of processes associated with the current terminal.
Jawapan
Use
ps. With its default selection, it gives a one-time process listing rather than a live display.Source: procps-ng:
ps.Kad 8
Soalan
Create an uncompressed tar archive from files or directories.
Jawapan
Use
tar -cf ARCHIVE.tar PATH....-ccreates an archive and-fnames the archive file.Source: GNU tar: create.
Kad 9
Soalan
Open an interactive shell on a remote machine over SSH.
Jawapan
Use
ssh USER@HOST. SSH connects to the remote host and can start an authenticated login session.Source: OpenSSH:
ssh.Kad 10
Soalan
Display the current environment variables.
Jawapan
Use
env. With no command or assignments, it prints the current environment.Source: GNU Coreutils:
env.Kad 11
Soalan
Ask a GNU command for its short built-in usage help.
Jawapan
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.Kad 12
Soalan
List the current directory's visible entries.
Jawapan
Use
ls. By default, names beginning with.are omitted.Source: GNU Coreutils:
ls.Kad 13
Soalan
Create a new directory.
Jawapan
Use
mkdir DIRECTORY. It creates the named directory when its parent already exists.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mkdir.Kad 14
Soalan
Read a long text file one screen at a time.
Jawapan
Use
less FILE. It is a pager: move through the file interactively and pressqto quit.Source: less: manual page.
Kad 15
Soalan
Write standard output to a file, replacing its previous contents.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 16
Soalan
What do user, group, and other mean in a file mode?
Jawapan
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.
Kad 17
Soalan
Show a broad, user-oriented snapshot of processes on a Linux system.
Jawapan
Use
ps aux. The BSD-styleaandxoptions broaden the selection, whileuselects a user-oriented format.Source: procps-ng:
ps.Kad 18
Soalan
Extract an uncompressed tar archive into the current directory.
Jawapan
Use
tar -xf ARCHIVE.tar.-xextracts and-fnames the archive file. Review unfamiliar archive contents before extracting them.Source: GNU tar: extract.
Kad 19
Soalan
Copy a file to or from a remote machine over SSH.
Jawapan
Use
scp SOURCE USER@HOST:DESTINATIONfor an upload, or reverse the remote and local paths for a download.Source: OpenSSH:
scp.Kad 20
Soalan
Print one environment variable by name.
Jawapan
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.Kad 21
Soalan
Check whether Bash will treat a name as an alias, function, builtin, or executable file.
Jawapan
Use
type NAME. Bash reports how it would interpret the name.Source: GNU Bash:
type.Kad 22
Soalan
Include hidden entries in a directory listing.
Jawapan
Use
ls -a. It includes names beginning with., including.and...Kad 23
Soalan
Copy a file to another path.
Jawapan
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.Kad 24
Soalan
Show the first 10 lines of a text file.
Jawapan
Use
head FILE. Its default output is the first 10 lines; use-n NUMBERto choose another count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
head.Kad 25
Soalan
Append standard output to a file without replacing its existing contents.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND >> FILE. The shell opens the file in append mode, creating it if needed.Kad 26
Soalan
What do read, write, and execute mean on a regular file?
Jawapan
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.
Kad 27
Soalan
Find process IDs by process name.
Jawapan
Use
pgrep PATTERN. It searches currently running processes and prints matching process IDs.Source: procps-ng:
pgrep.Kad 28
Soalan
Compress one file with gzip while keeping the original file.
Jawapan
Use
gzip -k FILE. GNU gzip writesFILE.gzand-kkeeps the input file.Source: GNU gzip manual.
Kad 29
Soalan
Fetch only a URL's response headers with curl.
Jawapan
Use
curl -I URL. It requests headers only; the server may respond differently than it would to a normal download.Source: curl:
--head.Kad 30
Soalan
Make a shell variable available to commands started from this Bash session.
Jawapan
Use
export NAME=value. Bash marks the name for inclusion in the environment of subsequently executed commands.Source: GNU Bash:
export.Kad 31
Soalan
Ask Bash which command it would run for a name.
Jawapan
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.Kad 32
Soalan
Show a long directory listing with modes, owners, sizes, and timestamps.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 33
Soalan
Move or rename a file.
Jawapan
Use
mv SOURCE DESTINATION. Within one filesystem this commonly renames the path; it can also move it to another directory.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mv.Kad 34
Soalan
Show the last 10 lines of a text file.
Jawapan
Use
tail FILE. Its default output is the last 10 lines; use-n NUMBERto choose another count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tail.Kad 35
Soalan
Give a command standard input from a file.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND < FILE. The shell opens the file for reading on the command's standard input.Source: GNU Bash: redirecting input.
Kad 36
Soalan
What do read, write, and execute mean on a directory?
Jawapan
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.
Kad 37
Soalan
Watch a live, updating view of processes and resource use.
Jawapan
Use
top. It refreshes a process and system summary interactively; pressqto quit.Source: procps-ng:
top.Kad 38
Soalan
Show one path's total disk usage in a human-readable summary.
Jawapan
Use
du -sh PATH.-sreports one total and-hformats sizes for people.Source: GNU Coreutils:
du.Kad 39
Soalan
Download a URL using its remote file name.
Jawapan
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.Kad 40
Soalan
Search Bash command history interactively.
Jawapan
Press
Ctrl-Rand type part of the command. Bash Readline performs a reverse incremental search through history.Source: GNU Bash: reverse search.
Kad 41
Soalan
Search manual-page names and summaries by keyword.
Jawapan
Use
man -k KEYWORD. It searches the manual-page database's short descriptions, likeapropos KEYWORD.Source: man-pages:
man.Kad 42
Soalan
Show a long listing with human-readable file sizes.
Jawapan
Use
ls -lh.-lselects long format and-huses human-readable size units.Source: GNU Coreutils: block size.
Kad 43
Soalan
Ask before
cpoverwrites an existing destination file.Jawapan
Use
cp -i SOURCE DESTINATION.-iprompts before replacing an existing destination.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cp.Kad 44
Soalan
Keep watching new lines appended to a log file.
Jawapan
Use
tail -f FILE.-fkeeps the command running and prints data as the file grows; stop it withCtrl-C.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tail.Kad 45
Soalan
Write only a command's error stream to a file.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND 2> ERRORS.log. File descriptor2is standard error, so standard output stays unchanged.Source: GNU Bash: redirections.
Kad 46
Soalan
Give the file owner execute permission without changing the other mode bits.
Jawapan
Use
chmod u+x FILE. In symbolic mode,umeans owner,+adds a bit, andxmeans execute.Source: GNU Coreutils: symbolic modes.
Kad 47
Soalan
Ask a process to terminate gracefully by PID.
Jawapan
Use
kill PID. By default,killsendsSIGTERM, which gives the process a chance to handle the signal and clean up.Source: Linux man-pages:
kill.Kad 48
Soalan
Show free and used space for mounted filesystems in readable units.
Jawapan
Use
df -h. It reports filesystem space and formats sizes in powers of 1024 for easier reading.Source: GNU Coreutils:
df.Kad 49
Soalan
Check whether a host responds to ICMP echo requests.
Jawapan
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.Kad 50
Soalan
Create a short Bash name for a longer command.
Jawapan
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 kad
Linux Command Line Flashcards: Essential Commands, Flags & Workflows
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Kad 51
Soalan
Interrupt the foreground command from the terminal.
Jawapan
Press
Ctrl-C. The terminal normally sendsSIGINTto the foreground process group.Source: GNU Bash: signals.
Kad 52
Soalan
Change to another directory.
Jawapan
Use
cd PATH.cdis a shell builtin because it changes the shell's own working directory.Source: GNU Bash:
cd.Kad 53
Soalan
Ask before
mvoverwrites an existing destination file.Jawapan
Use
mv -i SOURCE DESTINATION.-iprompts before replacing an existing destination.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mv.Kad 54
Soalan
Count the lines in a text file.
Jawapan
Use
wc -l FILE.-lprints the newline count.Source: GNU Coreutils:
wc.Kad 55
Soalan
Send standard output and standard error to the same file.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND > OUTPUT.log 2>&1. The order matters: standard error is redirected to the destination that standard output has at that point.Kad 56
Soalan
How do octal digits encode read, write, and execute permissions?
Jawapan
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.
Kad 57
Soalan
Force a process to stop only after graceful termination has failed.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 58
Soalan
List block devices in a tree without changing them.
Jawapan
Use
lsblk. It reads device and filesystem information and prints a tree by default.Source: util-linux:
lsblk.Kad 59
Soalan
Clear the display, or recover a terminal whose state is corrupted.
Jawapan
Use
clearfor a normal screen clear. Useresetwhen the terminal's modes are garbled and need reinitialization.Source: ncurses:
clearandreset.Kad 60
Soalan
Move to the parent directory.
Jawapan
Use
cd ... In a path,..names the parent directory.Source: POSIX: pathname resolution.
Kad 61
Soalan
Remove one file without recursive deletion.
Jawapan
Use
rm FILE. It removes the named directory entry; this is not a trash operation, so verify the path first.Source: GNU Coreutils:
rm.Kad 62
Soalan
Print lines in a file that contain a pattern.
Jawapan
Use
grep 'PATTERN' FILE. grep prints matching lines; quote the pattern so the shell does not reinterpret special characters.Source: GNU Grep manual.
Kad 63
Soalan
Discard a command's standard output.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND > /dev/null./dev/nulldiscards bytes written to it; standard error is still visible unless redirected separately.Source: Linux man-pages:
null.Kad 64
Soalan
Change a file's owning user.
Jawapan
Use
chown USER FILE. Changing ownership is permission-sensitive and commonly requires elevated privileges.Source: GNU Coreutils:
chown.Kad 65
Soalan
List the jobs managed by the current Bash session.
Jawapan
Use
jobs. It lists the shell's active jobs and their states.Source: GNU Bash: job-control builtins.
Kad 66
Soalan
Show kernel and system identity details in one line.
Jawapan
Use
uname -a. It prints all availableunamefields, including the kernel name and release, machine, and other supported details.Source: GNU Coreutils:
uname.Kad 67
Soalan
Check the previous foreground pipeline's exit status in Bash.
Jawapan
Read
$?immediately after the command. Bash sets it to the most recently completed foreground pipeline's status;0conventionally means success.Sources: GNU Bash: special parameters; GNU Bash: exit status.
Kad 68
Soalan
Return to the previous working directory.
Jawapan
Use
cd -. Bash changes to$OLDPWDand prints the resulting directory.Source: GNU Bash:
cd.Kad 69
Soalan
Ask before removing a file.
Jawapan
Use
rm -i FILE.-iprompts before each removal.Source: GNU Coreutils:
rm.Kad 70
Soalan
Search a file for a pattern without case distinctions.
Jawapan
Use
grep -i 'PATTERN' FILE.-iignores case distinctions while matching.Source: GNU Grep: matching control.
Kad 71
Soalan
Show command output on screen and save a copy to a file.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND | tee FILE.teecopies standard input to standard output and to the named file.Source: GNU Coreutils:
tee.Kad 72
Soalan
Change a file's owning group.
Jawapan
Use
chgrp GROUP FILE. The operation is limited by your ownership, group membership, and system privileges.Source: GNU Coreutils:
chgrp.Kad 73
Soalan
Suspend the foreground job, then continue it in the background.
Jawapan
Press
Ctrl-Z, then runbg. The terminal normally stops the foreground job, and Bash resumes that job asynchronously.Source: GNU Bash: job control basics.
Kad 74
Soalan
Show available and used memory in human-readable units.
Jawapan
Use
free -h. It reads memory counters exposed by the kernel and formats the values for people.Source: procps-ng:
free.Kad 75
Soalan
Change to your home directory.
Jawapan
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.Kad 76
Soalan
Sort text lines using the current locale's default ordering.
Jawapan
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.Kad 77
Soalan
Create a nested directory path whose parents may not exist.
Jawapan
Use
mkdir -p PARENT/CHILD.-pcreates missing parent directories and does not fail merely because a named directory already exists.Source: GNU Coreutils:
mkdir.Kad 78
Soalan
Run a second command only if the first command succeeds.
Jawapan
Use
COMMAND1 && COMMAND2. Bash runs the right-hand command only when the left-hand command returns status0.Source: GNU Bash: AND and OR lists.
Kad 79
Soalan
Print matching lines with their line numbers.
Jawapan
Use
grep -n 'PATTERN' FILE.-nprefixes each matching line with its one-based line number.Source: GNU Grep: output line prefix control.
Kad 80
Soalan
Set a regular file so the owner can read and write it while everyone else can only read it.
Jawapan
Use
chmod 644 FILE. The digits mean ownerrw-, groupr--, and otherr--.Source: GNU Coreutils: numeric modes.
Kad 81
Soalan
Translate characters in a text stream.
Jawapan
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.Kad 82
Soalan
Bring a Bash job back to the foreground.
Jawapan
Use
fg %JOB, orfgfor the current job. Bash resumes the selected job in the foreground.Source: GNU Bash: job-control builtins.
Kad 83
Soalan
How does an absolute path differ from a relative path?
Jawapan
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.
Kad 84
Soalan
Find paths below the current directory whose base name matches
*.log.Jawapan
Use
find . -name '*.log'. Quote the pattern sofind, not the shell, performs the name match.Source: GNU Findutils: name test.
Kad 85
Soalan
Remove an empty directory.
Jawapan
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.Kad 86
Soalan
Run a fallback command only if the first command fails.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 87
Soalan
Sort lines by their leading numeric value rather than lexically.
Jawapan
Use
sort -n FILE. Numeric sort orders lines by numeric key value instead of lexicographic text order.Source: GNU Coreutils:
sort.Kad 88
Soalan
Set a directory so the owner can modify it while everyone can list and traverse it.
Jawapan
Use
chmod 755 DIRECTORY. The digits mean ownerrwx, groupr-x, and otherr-x.Source: GNU Coreutils: numeric modes.
Kad 89
Soalan
Print one delimited field from each input line.
Jawapan
Use
cut -d CHARACTER -f FIELD FILE. For example,cut -d: -f1 FILEprints the first colon-delimited field.Source: GNU Coreutils:
cut.Kad 90
Soalan
Start a command as an asynchronous Bash job.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 91
Soalan
What does
./toolsay about where Bash should findtool?Jawapan
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.
Kad 92
Soalan
Search recursively through files under a directory for matching lines.
Jawapan
Use
grep -r 'PATTERN' DIRECTORY.-rreads files under each directory recursively and prints matching lines.Kad 93
Soalan
Create a second hard-link name for an existing file.
Jawapan
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.
Kad 94
Soalan
Keep only one line from each adjacent run of duplicate lines.
Jawapan
Use
uniq. It compares adjacent lines, so sort the input first when equal lines may be separated.Source: GNU Coreutils:
uniq.Kad 95
Soalan
Keep every character literal in a Bash argument, including
$and spaces.Jawapan
Wrap the text in single quotes:
'literal $HOME text'. Single quotes preserve each enclosed character literally; a single quote itself cannot appear directly inside that pair.Source: GNU Bash: single quotes.
Kad 96
Soalan
What does a path beginning with
/mean?Jawapan
It is an absolute path resolved from the filesystem root directory, not from the current directory.
Source: POSIX: pathname resolution.
Kad 97
Soalan
Find only regular files below the current directory.
Jawapan
Use
find . -type f. Theftype test matches regular files.Source: GNU Findutils: type test.
Kad 98
Soalan
Create a symbolic link that points to another path.
Jawapan
Use
ln -s TARGET LINK_NAME. A symbolic link stores a pathname; it can cross filesystems and can become dangling if the target path disappears.Source: GNU Coreutils: symbolic links.
Kad 99
Soalan
Allow variable expansion but keep spaces inside one Bash argument.
Jawapan
Use double quotes, for example
"$HOME/My Files". Double quotes preserve the argument while still allowing parameter expansion and command substitution.Source: GNU Bash: double quotes.
Kad 100
Soalan
Show how two text files differ.
Jawapan
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 kad
Linux Command Line Flashcards: Essential Commands, Flags & Workflows
Nibomo akan dibuka supaya anda boleh mula mengulang kaji.