Basic Linux Commands for Beginners (Server Cheat Sheet)

Once your app lives on a Linux server, you'll be typing commands into a terminal over SSH. You don't need hundreds. These cover nearly everything. (The terminal for complete beginners, How to SSH into a server)

Moving around

pwd                 # where am I?
ls                  # list files
ls -la              # list all files (including hidden) with details
cd /srv/myapp       # go to a folder
cd ..               # up one level
cd ~                # your home folder
cd -                # back to the previous folder

Files and folders

mkdir logs                # make a folder
mkdir -p a/b/c            # make nested folders
touch notes.txt           # create an empty file
cp a.txt b.txt            # copy
cp -r src/ backup/        # copy a folder
mv old.txt new.txt        # move or rename
rm file.txt               # delete a file (no recycle bin!)
rm -r folder/             # delete a folder and everything in it — be careful
ln -s /srv/app/current app   # create a shortcut (symlink)

There's no undo for rm. Double-check paths, especially with -r. (File paths explained)

Reading files

cat config.yml            # print a whole file
less app.log              # scroll through a file (q to quit, / to search)
head -n 20 app.log        # first 20 lines
tail -n 50 app.log        # last 50 lines
tail -f app.log           # follow new lines live — great for logs
nano .env                 # edit a file (Ctrl+O save, Ctrl+X exit)

Searching

grep "ERROR" app.log                  # lines containing ERROR
grep -r "DATABASE_URL" /srv/myapp     # search a folder recursively
grep -i "timeout" app.log             # case-insensitive
find /srv -name "*.log"               # find files by name
find . -size +100M                    # files over 100 MB

Permissions and ownership

ls -l                       # see permissions and owners
chmod +x deploy.sh          # make a script executable
chmod 600 .env              # only the owner can read/write
chown app:app -R /srv/myapp # change owner
sudo command                # run a command as administrator

(Linux file permissions: chmod 755, 644)

Processes

ps aux                  # all running processes
ps aux | grep node      # find a particular one
top                     # live view (q to quit); htop is friendlier if installed
kill 1234               # ask process 1234 to stop
kill -9 1234            # force it

(How to kill a process in Linux)

Disk and memory

df -h                   # free disk space per drive
du -sh *                # size of each item in this folder
du -sh /var/log         # size of one folder
free -h                 # memory usage
uptime                  # how long it's been up, and load

A full disk breaks everything — check df -h first when things go strange. (No space left on device)

Networking

curl -I https://example.com     # check a website responds
curl http://127.0.0.1:3000      # check your app locally
ss -tlnp                        # what's listening on which port
ping example.com                # is a host reachable?
dig example.com                 # DNS lookup
ip a                            # this server's IP addresses

(What is curl?, Ports explained)

Packages (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt update                 # refresh the package list
sudo apt upgrade                # install updates
sudo apt install htop           # install a package
sudo apt remove htop            # remove it

Services and logs

sudo systemctl status nginx     # is a service running?
sudo systemctl restart myapp
journalctl -u myapp -f          # follow a service's logs

(What is systemd?)

Handy extras

history                 # commands you've run
Ctrl+R                  # search your command history
Ctrl+C                  # stop the current command
clear                   # clear the screen
command --help          # quick help for most commands
man command             # full manual

Two operators worth knowing: | sends one command's output into another (ps aux | grep node), and > writes output to a file (> overwrites, >> appends). (Bash scripting for beginners)

Long-running work

Close your SSH session and anything you started in it stops — unless you run it inside tmux. (tmux cheat sheet)

EasySpawn gives you a terminal on your server from any browser — and if you'd rather not remember any of these, ask Claude Code in plain English. See how it works or join the waitlist.

Basic Linux Commands: The 50 You Need to Manage a Server