File Management

Core Linux file and directory operations including copying, moving, searching, and permission management

Basic Operations

ls [options] [path]

  • Lists directory contents
  • -la shows hidden files with details

cp [source] [destination]

  • Copies files or directories
  • -r for recursive directory copy

mv [source] [destination]

  • Moves/renames files and directories

rm [options] [file]

  • Removes files and directories
  • -rf for recursive force delete

Directory Management

mkdir [directory]

  • Creates new directory
  • -p creates parent directories

rmdir [directory]

  • Removes empty directories

cd [path]

  • Changes current directory
  • ~ for home, .. for parent

pwd

  • Shows current working directory

File Permissions

chmod [mode] [file]

  • Changes file permissions
  • 755, 644 common modes

chown [user:group] [file]

  • Changes file ownership

chgrp [group] [file]

  • Changes file group ownership

File Information

ls -la

  • Detailed file listing with permissions

file [filename]

  • Shows file type information

du -sh [path]

  • Shows directory size human-readable

df -h

  • Shows filesystem disk usage

Search Operations

find [path] -name [pattern]

  • Searches for files by name

locate [filename]

  • Quick file search using database

which [command]

  • Shows command location

Example Operations

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# Create directory structure
mkdir -p /home/user/projects/web

# Copy with permissions preserved
cp -a /var/www/* /backup/

# Find large files
find /home -size +100M -type f

# Set web directory permissions
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www