Linux 50 most Popular Commands

  1. ls – list files and directories
  2. cd – change directory
  3. pwd – print working directory
  4. mkdir – make directory
  5. rmdir – remove directory
  6. touch – create a new file
  7. cp – copy a file or directory
  8. mv – move or rename a file or directory
  9. rm – remove a file or directory
  10. chmod – change file permissions
  11. chown – change file ownership
  12. sudo – run a command with superuser privileges
  13. su – switch to another user
  14. top – display system processes
  15. ps – display process status
  16. kill – terminate a process
  17. df – display disk usage
  18. du – display file space usage
  19. free – display memory usage
  20. echo – print a message
  21. cat – concatenate and display files
  22. less – display text file contents one page at a time
  23. head – display the first lines of a file
  24. tail – display the last lines of a file
  25. grep – search for a pattern in text
  26. find – find files by name or other criteria
  27. locate – quickly find files by name
  28. which – display the path of a command
  29. whereis – locate the binary, source, and man page files of a command
  30. man – display the manual page of a command
  31. apropos – search the manual page descriptions
  32. info – display information about a command
  33. history – display command history
  34. clear – clear the terminal screen
  35. date – display the current date and time
  36. time – measure the time taken by a command
  37. cal – display a calendar
  38. bc – perform calculator operations
  39. yes – repeatedly output a string
  40. no – do nothing
  41. alias – create a short name for a command
  42. unalias – remove a command alias
  43. env – display environment variables
  44. export – set an environment variable
  45. source – execute commands from a file
  46. . – execute commands from a file
  47. exit – terminate the current session
  48. logout – terminate the current session
  49. reboot – reboot the system
  50. shutdown – shut down the system

These commands are the most commonly used and are a good starting point for learning Linux command line. However, it is also important to note that many Linux distributions come with their own specific set of commands and tools.