Basic Linux Commands for Beginners: 40 Server Essentials

The basic Linux commands every server beginner needs are pwd, ls and cd to move around, cp, mv, rm and mkdir to manage files, cat, less and tail to read them, sudo to run admin tasks, apt or dnf to install software, and df, free and top to check resources. They work the same on Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux, except the package manager.

Difficulty	Time	Works on	Needs
Beginner	20 minutes to try them all	Ubuntu 22.04 / 24.04, Debian 12 / 13, AlmaLinux / Rocky 9 / 10	An SSH session

Before you start

Connect to your server with SSH.
Log in as a normal user with sudo rights where you can. Commands that change the system start with sudo; if you are logged in as root, you can leave sudo out.
Every command has a manual. Type man ls or ls --help to see all options. Press q to leave a manual page.

How to move around the file system

Linux stores everything in one tree that starts at / (the root directory). Your home directory is /home/<user> (for root it is /root), shortened to ~.

Command	What it does	Example
`pwd`	Shows the directory you are in	`pwd`
`ls`	Lists files	`ls -lah` (long list, hidden files, readable sizes)
`cd`	Changes directory	`cd /var/log`, `cd ~`, `cd ..` (one level up)
`tree`	Shows a folder as a tree (install the `tree` package first)	`tree -L 2 /etc/nginx`

cd /var/log
pwd
ls -lah

Expected output of pwd:

/var/log

Press Tab to complete file and command names, and the up arrow to repeat earlier commands. history lists everything you typed recently.

How to create, copy, move and delete files

Command	What it does	Example
`mkdir`	Creates a directory	`mkdir -p ~/backups/2026` (`-p` creates parent folders too)
`touch`	Creates an empty file or updates its time	`touch notes.txt`
`cp`	Copies	`cp config.yml config.yml.bak`, `cp -r site/ site-copy/`
`mv`	Moves or renames	`mv old.txt new.txt`
`rm`	Deletes a file	`rm notes.txt`
`rm -r`	Deletes a directory and everything in it	`rm -r ~/old-site`
`ln -s`	Creates a shortcut (symbolic link)	`ln -s /var/www/example.com ~/site`

Linux has no recycle bin. rm deletes immediately, and rm -rf deletes without asking. Check the path with ls first, never run rm -rf on / or a path built from an empty variable, and take a backup or snapshot before large clean-ups. Add -i (rm -ri folder) to confirm each file.

How to read files and logs

Command	What it does	Example
`cat`	Prints a whole file	`cat /etc/os-release`
`less`	Opens a file you can scroll and search (`/word`, `q` to quit)	`less /var/log/syslog`
`head` / `tail`	First or last lines	`tail -n 50 /var/log/nginx/error.log`
`tail -f`	Follows a file as it grows (`Ctrl+C` to stop)	`tail -f /var/log/auth.log`
`grep`	Finds lines that contain text	`grep -i "error" /var/log/syslog`
`journalctl`	Reads the systemd log	`journalctl -u ssh -n 50`

/var/log/syslog and /var/log/auth.log exist on Ubuntu and Debian when rsyslog is installed. AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux use /var/log/messages and /var/log/secure. journalctl works on all of them; see how to read logs with journalctl. To edit a file, use nano (easiest) or vim: see how to edit files with nano and vim.

How to install and update software

The package manager downloads software from your distribution’s repositories.

Ubuntu / Debian
AlmaLinux / Rocky

sudo apt update            # refresh the package list
sudo apt upgrade           # install available updates
sudo apt install htop      # install a package
sudo apt remove htop       # remove a package
apt search nginx           # search for a package

sudo dnf upgrade           # refresh metadata and install updates
sudo dnf install htop      # install a package (htop is in EPEL: sudo dnf install epel-release first)
sudo dnf remove htop       # remove a package
dnf search nginx           # search for a package

More detail: how to update Linux packages.

How to check resources: disk, memory and CPU

Command	What it shows	Example
`df -h`	Free disk space per file system	`df -h /`
`du -sh`	Size of a folder	`sudo du -sh /var/log`
`free -h`	Memory and swap use	`free -h`
`top` / `htop`	Live CPU and memory per process (`q` to quit)	`top`
`uptime`	Time since boot and load average	`uptime`
`nproc`	Number of CPU cores	`nproc`

Example output of free -h:

               total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:           7.8Gi       978Mi       5.4Gi        15Mi       1.8Gi       6.9Gi

Look at the available column: that is what new programs can still use.

How to manage processes and services

Command	What it does	Example
`ps aux`	Lists all running processes	`ps aux \| grep nginx`
`kill`	Asks a process to stop	`kill 12345`
`systemctl status`	Shows if a service runs	`sudo systemctl status nginx`
`systemctl restart`	Restarts a service	`sudo systemctl restart nginx`
`ss -tulpn`	Shows which ports are listening	`sudo ss -tulpn`

See how to manage services with systemctl and how to kill a process.

How to manage users and permissions

Command	What it does	Example
`whoami`	Shows your user name	`whoami`
`sudo`	Runs one command as root	`sudo systemctl restart ssh`
`passwd`	Changes your password	`passwd`
`chmod`	Changes permissions	`chmod 640 config.php`
`chown`	Changes owner	`sudo chown alex:alex file.txt`

See how to create a sudo user and file permissions explained.

Networking and transfer commands

Command	What it does	Example
`ip a`	Shows your IP addresses	`ip -br a`
`ping`	Tests if a host answers	`ping -c 4 example.com`
`curl`	Fetches a URL	`curl -I https://example.com`
`wget`	Downloads a file	`wget https://example.com/file.tar.gz`
`scp` / `rsync`	Copy files between machines	`rsync -avz site/ alex@203.0.113.10:/var/www/site/`

How to check it worked

Run these three commands. If each prints a result without an error, your shell, sudo and package manager all work:

whoami
sudo whoami
df -h /

sudo whoami prints root.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Linux terminal case-sensitive?

Yes. File.txt and file.txt are two different files, and LS is not the same command as ls.

How do I stop a command that is running?

Press Ctrl+C. If a full-screen program such as less, top or man is open, press q.

Why do I get “Permission denied”?

You are trying to change something that belongs to another user or to root. Put sudo in front of the command, or check the file owner with ls -l. See file permissions explained.

How do I log out of the server?

Type exit or press Ctrl+D. Running programs started in that session stop unless you use tmux or screen; see keep SSH sessions running.

How do I clear the screen?

Type clear or press Ctrl+L.

VPS and dedicated server guides

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Connect with SSH

Find files and text

Use find and grep.

Edit files with nano and vim

Change config files safely.

First 10 things on a new VPS

Set up a new server properly.

Checked against the official GNU Coreutils manual and the Ubuntu Server documentation on 4 November 2026; commands tested on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Commands can differ on other distributions or releases.

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Last Updated: November 2026

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Basic Linux Commands for Beginners: 40 Server Essentials

Before you start

How to move around the file system

How to create, copy, move and delete files

How to read files and logs

How to install and update software

How to check resources: disk, memory and CPU

How to manage processes and services

How to manage users and permissions

Networking and transfer commands

How to check it worked

Frequently asked questions

Is the Linux terminal case-sensitive?

How do I stop a command that is running?

Why do I get “Permission denied”?

How do I log out of the server?

How do I clear the screen?

VPS and dedicated server guides

Connect with SSH

Find files and text

Edit files with nano and vim

First 10 things on a new VPS

Need Extra Help?

Save on Your Hosting

​Before you start

​How to move around the file system

​How to create, copy, move and delete files

​How to read files and logs

​How to install and update software

​How to check resources: disk, memory and CPU

​How to manage processes and services

​How to manage users and permissions

​Networking and transfer commands

​How to check it worked

​Frequently asked questions

​Is the Linux terminal case-sensitive?

​How do I stop a command that is running?

​Why do I get “Permission denied”?

​How do I log out of the server?

​How do I clear the screen?

​Related guides

VPS and dedicated server guides

Connect with SSH

Find files and text

Edit files with nano and vim

First 10 things on a new VPS

​Need Extra Help?

​Save on Your Hosting

Before you start

How to move around the file system

How to create, copy, move and delete files

How to read files and logs

How to install and update software

How to check resources: disk, memory and CPU

How to manage processes and services

How to manage users and permissions

Networking and transfer commands

How to check it worked

Frequently asked questions

Is the Linux terminal case-sensitive?

How do I stop a command that is running?

Why do I get “Permission denied”?

How do I log out of the server?

How do I clear the screen?

Related guides

Need Extra Help?

Save on Your Hosting