Part 1: Getting Started - Your First Commands

Table of Contents

  1. Tutorial Index
  2. Part-00 : Setup
  3. Part-01 : Getting Started ◄ You are here
  4. Part-02 : Reading and Searching
  5. Part-03 : Permissions and Processes
  6. Part-04 : Environment Customization
  7. Part-05 : Solutions and Next Steps

Welcome to Part 1 of the Linux Command-Line Workshop!

WARNING

Haven’t set up your environment yet? Go back to Part 0: Setting Up Your Environment first!

In this post, you’ll learn the fundamental commands that every developer needs to navigate and manipulate files in the terminal.

The Anatomy of a Command

Before we dive in, let’s understand what a command looks like:

command -options arguments
  • command: The program you want to run (e.g., ls)
  • options (flags): Modify how the command behaves (e.g., -a, -l)
  • arguments: What the command acts on (e.g., a filename or directory)

Example:

ls -la /home/user
│  │  └─ argument (directory to list)
│  └─ options (long format + show hidden files)
└─ command (list directory contents)

pwd - Print Working Directory

Shows you where you currently are in the filesystem.

pwd
# Output: /home/bakayu

Exercise 1.1: Open your terminal and run pwd. What directory are you in?

ls - List Directory Contents

The most-used command. Shows files and folders in your current location.

Basic usage:

ls              # List current directory
ls /home        # List specific directory
ls Documents    # List relative path

Important flags:

ls -a       # Show ALL files (including hidden ones starting with .)
ls -l       # Long format (permissions, owner, size, date)
ls -h       # Human-readable sizes (KB, MB, GB)
ls -la      # Combine flags! Long format + hidden files

Exercise 1.2:

  1. Run ls in your home directory
  2. Run ls -a - do you see any new files? (Hint: look for .bashrc, .profile)
  3. Run ls -lh - what’s the size of your largest file?

Pro tip: You can combine short flags: ls -lah is the same as ls -l -a -h

cd - Change Directory

Move around the filesystem.

Basic usage:

cd Documents        # Go to Documents (relative path)
cd /home/user       # Go to absolute path
cd ..               # Go up one level
cd ~                # Go to home directory
cd -                # Go to previous directory

Important paths:

  • / - Root directory (top of filesystem)
  • ~ - Your home directory (shortcut for /home/username)
  • . - Current directory
  • .. - Parent directory

Exercise 1.3:

  1. Go to your home directory: cd ~
  2. Go to root: cd /
  3. List what’s there: ls
  4. Go back home: cd ~
  5. Create this navigation: cd Documents (if it exists) then cd .. then cd -

File Operations

mkdir - Make Directory

Create new folders.

mkdir myproject             # Create one folder
mkdir -p path/to/deep/dir   # Create nested folders (-p = parents)
mkdir dir1 dir2 dir3        # Create multiple folders

Exercise 1.4:

cd ~
mkdir workshop-practice
cd workshop-practice
mkdir -p projects/web/frontend
ls -R       # Recursively list all subdirectories

touch - Create Empty File

Creates a new empty file or updates timestamp of existing file.

touch file.txt
touch index.html style.css script.js    # Create multiple files

Exercise 1.5:

cd ~/workshop-practice
touch README.md notes.txt
ls -l

cp - Copy Files

cp source destination          # Copy file
cp -r folder/ backup/          # Copy directory (-r = recursive)
cp file.txt file_backup.txt    # Copy and rename

Exercise 1.6:

cd ~/workshop-practice
cp README.md README_backup.md
mkdir backup
cp -r projects/ backup/
ls backup/

mv - Move/Rename Files

mv oldname newname             # Rename
mv file.txt Documents/         # Move to directory
mv file.txt ~/backup/new.txt   # Move and rename

Exercise 1.7:

cd ~/workshop-practice
mv notes.txt important_notes.txt
mkdir archive
mv README_backup.md archive/
ls
ls archive/

rm - Remove Files

⚠️ Warning: There’s no trash/recycle bin. Deleted = gone forever!

rm file.txt         # Delete file
rm -r folder/       # Delete directory (recursive)
rm -i file.txt      # Interactive (asks confirmation)
rm -f file.txt      # Force (no confirmation)

Exercise 1.8:

cd ~/workshop-practice
touch test_delete.txt
ls
rm -i test_delete.txt       # Type 'y' to confirm
ls                          # Verify it's gone

Getting Help

man - Manual Pages

man ls      # Open the manual for 'ls'
man cp      # Open the manual for 'cp'

Navigation in man:

  • Press SPACE to go down one page
  • Press b to go back one page
  • Press / to search (type your search term, press Enter)
  • Press q to quit

Exercise 1.9: Run man ls and find what the -R flag does.

--help Flag

Most commands support --help:

ls --help
cp --help

Hands-On Challenge

Ready to practice? Complete the hands-on challenge in the workshop repository:

Part 1 Challenge on GitHub

Challenge: Build a complete web project structure using only the commands you learned.

The challenge includes:

  • Exact requirements for the directory structure
  • Verification script to check your work
  • Progressive hints if you get stuck
  • Time goal to challenge yourself

Clone the repository and give it a try:

git clone https://github.com/bakayu/linux-tutorial.git
cd linux-tutorial/01-getting-started
cat README.md

Summary

You’ve learned:

  • Navigation: pwd, ls, cd
  • File operations: mkdir, touch, cp, mv, rm
  • Getting help: man, --help

These are the foundation of everything you’ll do in the terminal!

Next Steps

In Part 2: Reading & Searching, we’ll learn how to:

  • View file contents (cat, less, head, tail)
  • Search for text (grep)
  • Chain commands together with pipes (|)

Quick Reference Card

# Navigation
pwd              # Where am I?
ls -lah          # What's here?
cd ~/Documents   # Go somewhere

# File Operations
mkdir -p path/to/dir    # Create folders
touch file.txt          # Create file
cp -r src/ backup/      # Copy
mv old.txt new.txt      # Rename/move
rm -i file.txt          # Delete (careful!)

# Help
man command      # Full manual
command --help   # Quick help