Essential Linux macOS Dev Commands

Essential Linux macOS Dev Commands | Generated by AI

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Question: What are the commonly used terminal commands (like ls, pwd, ps) in macOS or Linux for development?

Answer:

Here is a comprehensive reference of frequently used terminal commands for developers on macOS and Linux, organized by category.

Command	Description	Example
`pwd`	Print current working directory	`pwd`
`ls`	List files in current directory	`ls -la`
`cd`	Change directory	`cd ~/projects`
`mkdir`	Create a new directory	`mkdir my-app`
`rmdir`	Remove an empty directory	`rmdir old-folder`
`find`	Search for files/directories	`find . -name "*.js"`

Useful ls flags:

ls -l — long listing with permissions, size, date
ls -a — show hidden files (dotfiles)
ls -la — combine both

📄 File Operations

Command	Description	Example
`touch`	Create an empty file	`touch index.js`
`cp`	Copy file or directory	`cp file.txt backup.txt`
`mv`	Move or rename file	`mv old.js new.js`
`rm`	Remove file	`rm -rf dist/`
`cat`	Print file content	`cat package.json`
`less`	Page through file content	`less app.log`
`head`	Show first N lines	`head -20 log.txt`
`tail`	Show last N lines (great for logs)	`tail -f server.log`
`nano` / `vim`	Text editors in terminal	`vim config.yaml`

🔍 Search & Text

Command	Description	Example
`grep`	Search text inside files	`grep -r "TODO" ./src`
`sed`	Stream editor, find & replace	`sed 's/foo/bar/g' file.txt`
`awk`	Text processing / pattern scanning	`awk '{print $1}' file.txt`
`wc`	Count lines/words/chars	`wc -l file.txt`
`sort`	Sort lines of text	`sort names.txt`
`uniq`	Remove duplicate lines	`sort file.txt \\| uniq`

⚙️ Process Management

Commands like ps, kill, and top/htop are essential for process management on both macOS and Linux.

Command	Description	Example
`ps`	Show running processes	`ps aux`
`top`	Real-time process viewer	`top`
`htop`	Enhanced process viewer (install via Homebrew)	`htop`
`kill`	Kill a process by PID	`kill -9 1234`
`pkill`	Kill process by name	`pkill node`
`jobs`	List background jobs in shell	`jobs`
`bg` / `fg`	Resume job in background/foreground	`fg %1`
`&`	Run command in background	`node server.js &`
`lsof`	List open files (find what’s using a port)	`lsof -i :3000`

🌐 Network & HTTP

curl and wget are essential for transferring data to or from a server, particularly useful for testing APIs. ssh is used for securely connecting to remote servers, which is fundamental for deployment workflows.

Command	Description	Example
`curl`	Transfer data via URL / test APIs	`curl -I https://example.com`
`wget`	Download files from the web	`wget https://example.com/file.zip`
`ssh`	Secure shell into remote server	`ssh user@192.168.1.1`
`scp`	Securely copy files to/from remote	`scp file.txt user@host:/path`
`ping`	Test network connectivity	`ping google.com`
`netstat`	Show network connections	`netstat -an`
`ifconfig` / `ip`	Show network interface info	`ifconfig` (macOS)
`nslookup`	DNS lookup	`nslookup google.com`

🗜️ Archives & Compression

Command	Description	Example
`tar`	Archive files	`tar -czvf archive.tar.gz ./dist`
`tar` (extract)	Extract archive	`tar -xzvf archive.tar.gz`
`zip` / `unzip`	Zip and unzip files	`zip -r out.zip ./folder`
`gzip`	Compress a file	`gzip file.txt`

🔐 Permissions & Ownership

Command	Description	Example
`chmod`	Change file permissions	`chmod +x script.sh`
`chown`	Change file owner	`chown user:group file.txt`
`sudo`	Run command as superuser	`sudo npm install -g yarn`
`whoami`	Show current user	`whoami`

💻 System Info & Disk

Command	Description	Example
`df`	Disk free space	`df -h`
`du`	Disk usage of directory	`du -sh ./node_modules`
`uname`	System info	`uname -a`
`uptime`	How long system has been running	`uptime`
`env`	Show environment variables	`env`
`export`	Set environment variable	`export NODE_ENV=production`
`echo`	Print text / variable value	`echo $PATH`
`history`	Show command history	`history`
`clear`	Clear terminal screen	`clear`

🛠️ Developer-Specific

git is the cornerstone of version control — command-line proficiency is invaluable even if you also use GUI tools.

Command	Description	Example
`git`	Version control	`git log --oneline --graph --all`
`npm` / `yarn` / `pnpm`	Node.js package managers	`npm install`
`brew`	Homebrew package manager (macOS)	`brew install htop`
`docker`	Container management	`docker ps`, `docker-compose up`
`python3` / `node`	Run scripts	`python3 app.py`
`which`	Find location of a command	`which node`
`alias`	Create command shortcuts	`alias ll='ls -la'`
`xargs`	Build command from input	`find . -name "*.log" \\| xargs rm`
`tee`	Read stdin and write to file + stdout	`npm test \\| tee results.txt`
`man`	Show manual for a command	`man grep`

🔗 Pipe & Redirection (Essential Concepts)

Operator	Description	Example
`\\|`	Pipe output to another command	`ps aux \\| grep node`
`>`	Redirect output to file (overwrite)	`echo "hello" > file.txt`
`>>`	Append output to file	`echo "line" >> file.txt`
`<`	Use file as input	`sort < names.txt`
`2>&1`	Redirect stderr to stdout	`cmd > out.txt 2>&1`

💡 Tips

Use Ctrl + C to cancel a running command
Use Ctrl + Z to suspend, then bg to run in background
Use !! to repeat the last command
Use Tab for autocomplete
Use man <command> to read the full manual for any command

References:

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