Unix commands

List of Unix commands as specified by IEEE Std 1003.1-2008, which is part of the Single UNIX Specification (SUS). These commands can be found on Unix operating systems and most Unix-like operating systems.
— Wikipedia

Name

Text processing

  • asa: Interpret carriage-control characters
  • awk: Pattern scanning and processing language
  • comm: Select or reject lines common to two files
  • csplit: Split files based on context
  • cut: Cut out selected fields of each line of a file
  • diff: Compare two files; see also cmp
  • ed: The standard text editor
  • ex: Text editor
  • expand: Convert tabs to spaces
  • fold: Filter for folding lines
  • head: Copy the first part of files
  • iconv: Codeset conversion
  • join: Merges two sorted text files based on the presence of a common field
  • lp: Send files to a printer
  • more: Display files on a page-by-page basis
  • nl: Line numbering filter
  • paste: Merge corresponding or subsequent lines of files
  • patch: Apply changes to files
  • pr: Print files
  • sed: Stream editor
  • sort: Sort, merge, or sequence check text files
  • tail: Copy the last part of a file
  • tr: Translate characters
  • tsort: Topological sort
  • unexpand: Convert spaces to tabs
  • uniq: Report or filter out repeated lines in a file
  • vi: Screen-oriented (visual) display editor
  • wc: Line, word and byte or character count
  • zcat: Expand and concatenate data

System administration

  • who: Display who is on the system

Shell programming

  • command: Execute a simple command
  • echo: Write arguments to standard output
  • expr: Evaluate arguments as an expression
  • false: Return false value
  • getopts: Parse utility options
  • logger: Log messages
  • printf: Write formatted output
  • read: Read a line from standard input
  • sh: Shell, the standard command language interpreter AT&T UNIX (in earlier versions, sh was either the Thompson shell or the PWB shell)
  • sleep: Suspend execution for an interval
  • tee: Duplicate the standard output
  • test: Evaluate expression
  • true: Return true value
  • xargs: Construct argument lists and invoke utility

SCCS (Source Code Control System)

  • admin: Create and administer SCCS files
  • delta: Make a delta (change) to an SCCS file
  • get: Get a version of an SCCS file
  • prs: Print an SCCS file
  • rmdel: Remove a delta from an SCCS file
  • sact: Print current SCCS file-editing activity
  • sccs: Front end for the SCCS subsystem
  • unget: Undo a previous get of an SCCS file
  • val: Validate SCCS files
  • what: Identify SCCS files

Programming

  • make
  • fort77
  • cc/c99: Compile standard C programs
  • cflow: Generate a C-language call graph
  • ctags: Create a tags file
  • cxref: Generate a C-language program cross-reference table
  • lex: Generate programs for lexical tasks
  • nm: Optional (SD, XSI)
  • strings: Find printable strings in files
  • strip: Remove unnecessary information from executable files
  • yacc: Yet another compiler compiler

Process management

  • at: Execute commands at a later time
  • batch: Schedule commands to be executed in a batch queue
  • bg: Run jobs in the background
  • fg: Run jobs in the foreground
  • fuser: List process IDs of all processes that have one or more files open
  • jobs: Display status of jobs in the current session
  • kill: Terminate or signal processes
  • nice: Invoke a utility with an altered nice value
  • nohup: Invoke a utility immune to hangups
  • ps: Report process status
  • renice: Set nice values of running processes
  • time: Time a simple command
  • uux: Remote command execution
  • wait: Await process completion

Network

  • uucp: System-to-system copy
  • uudecode: Decode a binary file
  • uuencode: Encode a binary file
  • uustat: uucp status inquiry and job control

Misc

  • alias: Define or display aliases
  • ar: Create and maintain library archives
  • bc: Arbitrary-precision arithmetic language
  • cal: Print a calendar
  • crontab: Schedule periodic background work
  • date: Display the date and time
  • env: Set the environment for command invocation
  • fc: Process the command history list
  • gencat: Generate a formatted message catalog
  • getconf: Get configuration values
  • grep: Search text for a pattern
  • hash: Hash database access method
  • id: Return user identity
  • ipcrm: Remove a message queue, semaphore set, or shared memory segment identifier
  • ipcs: Report interprocess communication facilities status
  • locale: Get locale-specific information
  • localedef: Define locale environment
  • logname: Return the user’s login name
  • m4: Macro processor
  • mailx: Process messages
  • man: Display system documentation
  • mesg: Permit or deny messages
  • newgrp: Change to a new group
  • od: Dump files in various formats
  • pax: Portable archive interchange
  • readlink -
  • split: Split files into pieces
  • stty: Set the options for a terminal
  • tabs: Set terminal tabs
  • talk: Talk to another user
  • tput: Change terminal characteristics
  • tty: Return user’s terminal name
  • type: Displays how a name would be interpreted if used as a command
  • ulimit: Set or report file size limit
  • umask: Get or set the file mode creation mask
  • unalias: Remove alias definitions
  • uname: Return system name
  • uncompress: Expand compressed data
  • write: Write to another user’s terminal

Filesystem

  • basename: Return non-directory portion of a pathname; see also dirname

  • cat: Concatenate and print files

  • cd: Change the working directory

  • chgrp: Change the file group ownership

  • chmod: Change the file modes/attributes/permissions

  • chown: Change the file ownership

  • cksum: Write file checksums and sizes

  • cmp: Compare two files; see also diff

  • compress: Compress data

  • cp: Copy files

  • dd: Convert and copy a file

  • df: Report free disk space

  • dirname: Return the directory portion of a pathname; see also basename

  • du: Estimate file space usage

  • file: Determine file type

  • find: Find files

  • link: Create a hard link to a file

  • ln: Link files

  • ls: List directory contents

  • mkdir: Make directories

  • mkfifo: Make FIFO special files

  • mv: Move or rename files

  • pathchk: Check pathnames

  • pwd: Print working directory

  • rm: Remove directory entries

  • rmdir: Remove directories, if they are empty.

  • touch: Change file access and modification times

  • unlink: Call the unlink function

  • fdisk: Partition table manipulator for Linux

  • timedatectl: Control the system time and date, can be used to enable NTP (timedatectl set-ntp true)

Batch utilities

  • qalter: Alter batch job
  • qdel: Delete batch jobs
  • qhold: Hold batch jobs
  • qmove: Move batch jobs
  • qmsg: Send message to batch jobs
  • qrerun: Rerun batch jobs
  • qrls: Release batch jobs
  • qselect: Select batch jobs
  • qsig: Signal batch jobs
  • qstat: Show status of batch jobs
  • qsub: Submit a script

Man Pages

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