Enhancing Skills

Category: Operating System

Most Common and Important Files and Directories

Here’s a table categorizing common and important files and directories by their group: System and Configuration Files File/Directory Description /etc/passwd Contains user account information, such as usernames and user IDs. /etc/shadow Stores hashed user passwords and password expiration information. /etc/group Contains group account information, including group names and group IDs. […] Read more »

watch: Monitor command output at regular intervals

Command: watch The watch command is used to execute a command repeatedly at specified intervals and display the output. This is useful for monitoring changes in command output or system status in real-time. Commands and Outputs: Output: Output: Output: Changes will be highlighted to show differences from the previous output. […] Read more »

alias: Define shorthand commands for longer or frequently used commands

Command: alias The alias command allows you to create shortcuts for longer or frequently used commands. This can help streamline your workflow by reducing the amount of typing required. Commands and Outputs: Output: Output: Output: Example Usage: Note: Aliases are typically defined in shell configuration files like .bashrc or .zshrc […] Read more »

iostat: System I/O statistics, disk, and processor activity

Command: iostat The iostat command provides detailed information about system input/output (I/O) statistics, including disk usage and CPU load. It’s useful for monitoring system performance and identifying potential bottlenecks related to I/O operations. Sample Commands and Outputs: Sample Output: Description: Options: Example with Options: Sample Output: Description: Read more »

vmstat: System virtual memory statistics

Command: vmstat The vmstat command provides system information related to virtual memory, processes, paging, block IO, traps, and CPU activity. It’s useful for monitoring system performance and diagnosing issues related to memory and process management. Sample Commands and Outputs: Sample Output: Description: Options: Example with Options: Sample Output: Description: Read more »

htop: Graphical representation similar to a task manager

Command: htop The htop command provides an interactive, ncurses-based graphical representation of system processes, similar to a task manager. It offers an enhanced view compared to top, with a more user-friendly interface and additional features for managing processes. Sample Commands and Outputs: Sample Output: Description: Installation:To install htop if it’s […] Read more »

top: Display the full command line of each process

Command: top The top command displays a real-time view of system processes and their resource usage. By default, it shows the command line of each process in a truncated form, but you can configure it to display the full command line. When you run the top command without any arguments, […] Read more »

zcat: Display the contents of a compressed file, without extracting it

Command: zcat The zcat command is used to view the contents of a compressed file without actually extracting it. It works with files compressed using gzip and displays the file’s content to standard output (stdout). Sample Commands and Outputs: Description: Description: Description: Note: zcat only works with files compressed using […] Read more »

bzip2: Compress or decompress files

Command: bzip2 / bunzip2 The bzip2 command is used to compress files using the bzip2 compression algorithm, which provides better compression ratios compared to gzip. The bunzip2 command is used to decompress files compressed with bzip2. Sample Commands and Outputs: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Note: bzip2 provides high […] Read more »