Linux

When Linux storage is running low, locating large files gives you paths to inspect. The find command searches a chosen directory for files above a size threshold. This article shows how to set that threshold and rank matching files by apparent size. It also explains when du helps compare directory usage. TL;DR: Find large files

Fetching a URL from a Linux shell can leave you deciding whether the response should go into a file or appear in the terminal. Wget and curl are command-line tools for transferring data to and from URLs, and they handle output differently by default. This article compares which command fits common transfer tasks and shows

A report can be long when you only need to check its newest records. The Linux tail command prints the end of a file, with options to start at a chosen line or byte count. I’ll show how to select the part of a file to read and how to follow new log entries. TL;DR:

A command-line task may call for checking a web response or sending data to a service. The curl command transfers data to or from URLs. This article walks through inspecting response headers and sending a small JSON request with curl. TL;DR: curl command in Linux curl handles transfers from a URL. These options determine whether

Copying a file from a terminal means choosing a source path and a destination, which can have a different name. The cp command copies files and, with a recursive option, copies directories and their contents. In this piece, I’ll walk through copying files and directories with cp, then explain how to choose an overwrite option.

Checking the accounts on an Ubuntu machine means choosing whether to look at local records or accounts the system can resolve. The getent passwd command looks up records through the machine’s configured account sources, while the /etc/passwd file stores local records. I’ll show you how to list local names and system-resolved accounts, then use a

Looking up a command while working in a shell can interrupt the task you are trying to finish. A Linux command cheat sheet groups common commands by task and gives you a starting point for using them. I’ll show how to use common Linux commands and explain how to check their options before running them.

Copying a file into place can also mean choosing its destination permissions or creating directories along the path. The GNU install utility prepares files and directories from the command line, including copying a file and creating missing parent directories. I’ll show how to set permissions on a copied file and create the directories it needs.