Essential Linux Commands for Git Terminal

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📁 1. File & Directory Navigation

1. pwd

Description: Shows the current working directory path.

pwd

2. ls

Description: Lists files and directories.

ls
ls -la   # detailed list including hidden files

3. cd

Description: Changes directory.

cd project-folder
cd ..        # move up one directory
cd ~         # go to home directory

📂 2. File & Directory Management

4. mkdir

Description: Creates a new directory.

mkdir my-repo

5. rmdir

Description: Removes an empty directory.

rmdir my-repo

6. rm

Description: Deletes files or directories.

rm file.txt
rm -r folder/    # remove directory recursively

7. cp

Description: Copies files or directories.

cp file.txt backup.txt
cp -r folder/ new-folder/

8. mv

Description: Moves or renames files.

mv file.txt newname.txt
mv file.txt folder/

📝 3. File Viewing & Editing

9. cat

Description: Displays file content.

cat README.md

10. less

Description: Views large files page by page.

less README.md

11. nano

Description: Simple terminal text editor.

nano file.txt

12. vim

Description: Advanced text editor.

vim file.txt

🔍 4. Search & Filtering

13. grep

Description: Searches text in files.

grep "function" file.js

14. find

Description: Finds files/directories.

find . -name "index.js"

⚙️ 5. Permissions & Ownership

15. chmod

Description: Changes file permissions.

chmod 755 script.sh

16. chown

Description: Changes file ownership.

chown user:user file.txt

🌐 6. Networking (Useful for Git)

17. ssh

Description: Connects securely to remote servers (used for GitHub SSH).

ssh -T git@github.com

18. curl

Description: Transfers data from URLs.

curl https://api.github.com

🧰 7. Archive & Compression

19. tar

Description: Creates/extracts archives.

tar -cvf project.tar folder/
tar -xvf project.tar

20. zip / unzip

Description: Compresses and extracts zip files.

zip -r project.zip folder/
unzip project.zip

🧪 8. System & Process Commands

21. clear

Description: Clears the terminal screen.

clear

22. history

Description: Shows previously used commands.

history

23. top

Description: Displays running processes.

top

🔄 How These Help in Git Workflow

When working with Git, these Linux commands help you:

  • Navigate to repositories (cd, ls)
  • Create/manage project files (mkdir, rm, cp)
  • Edit code before committing (nano, vim)
  • Inspect changes (cat, less)
  • Search code (grep, find)
  • Handle SSH authentication (ssh)

🚀 Example Git Workflow with Linux Commands

mkdir my-project
cd my-project
git inittouch README.md
nano README.mdgit add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

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