Skip to content
Step by Step Internet 馃寪 Guides for learning to surf the Net

Linux system management commands What are they, what is their purpose and what are the best performing ones?

Currently, Linux is one of the most powerful operating systems, so it has numerous users. Which, benefit from this free software that has excellent prospects for the future and stands out for being independent, safe, robust and easily adaptable. Besides that, it is a multi-tasking and multi-user system that guarantees numerous advantages.

However, like most modern operating systems, Linux provides the ability to interact with the system from a command line in the so-called Linux Shell. By default, it acts as an access interface between the system and the user, thanks to the fact that contains a command line interpreter that receives all the inputs made by the user with the keyboard.

For its part, each Shell has its own command language that they are known as “commands” and they facilitate the accomplishment of tasks at the system level, to a great extent. Through them, people will be able to execute different actions quickly in order to optimize your user experience. Therefore, it is useful to know what are the Linux system management commands and here, we will mention each one.

What are Linux system management commands and what are they for?

In general terms, Linux commands consist of an instruction that tells the operating system what task to perform specifically. Thus, they are defined as certain orders that are used to execute actions through the command line that contains the OS. For its part, in detail, the commands for system management are all those basic Linux instructions that are used to manage the system optimally.

They are orders that serve to reboot, shutdown or program the system from the console. With them the people they will be able to specify a better experience. In this sense, users will be able to do both simple tasks as well as more complicated operations. with total speed and performance, as opposed to the time it takes to do it manually. Besides everything, it is easy and friendly to use these commands in Linux in order to become familiar with it and to optimize the management of the system in general.

List of the best commands to manage Linux system that you should know

As we mentioned earlier, in principle, the commands for managing the Linux system are those that serve to administer the environment in general terms. Therefore, it is essential to know which are the most useful and important when handling Linux in order to get a much more productive environment.

Here we offer you a list of all these orders in detail:

  • logger: Corresponds to a command that creates log records and with it, by default, a line is generated in the system log file. Basically its syntax is: logger “MENSAJE”.
  • reboot: It takes care of rebooting the system quickly. But, to be able to use it without any restrictions, the user must have root or superuser permissions. Regarding its scheme, we highlight that it is: reboot [OPCIONES].
  • shutdown: It is a Linux instruction that turn off the system. In this case, users with administrator permissions will have the possibility to use it to carry out this action. Assessing that, when you want to turn off the system, you can set the exact time to do it In addition, it can issue a shutdown notice with an optional message. The syntax for it is: shutdown [OPCIONES] [TIEMPO] [MENSAJE].
  • rtcwake: Consists of an order that has the ability to start and shutdown the system automatically. Therefore, it corresponds to an instruction that allows both the start, as well as the suspension and shutdown of the machine. Basically, its scheme is as follows: rtcwake [OPCIONES] [MODO] [Tiempo].
  • logout: Basically, it is used to be able to log out of the system, almost immediately. By nature, one of the most used commands for system management in Linux.
  • df: Refers to a Linux instruction that manages to display the free space on the hard disk. Whereas, for more details, specify the free disk space for each partition using the scheme df [OPCIONES] and in case of using df [OPCIONES] [ARCHIVO] the system responds with the free disk space on the partition where the file is saved specifically.
  • free: This is a command for managing the Linux system that presents the load of the RAM memory. To do this, it is only necessary to use the scheme free [OPCIONES]. In case it is exhausted, Linux will move some portions of the data stored in RAM to the hard disk.
  • dmesg: This is a command that provides a list based on the kernel message buffer. Mainly, it presents the diagnostic messages of the kernel buffer and apart, it offers the possibility of locating the errors in the driver or in the hardware. To run it, the required syntax is: dmesg [OPCIONES].
  • uname: It is an instruction for Linux that has the ability to provide kernel information and thanks to that, is used to request information about the kernel. To filter the information output, uname supports several options that must be specified through its syntax, which is uname[OPCIONES].
  • uptime: Basically, this command lets you know what is the exact system runtime. Therefore, from it you can find out how long the system has been running since the last boot without any restart process. Regarding its scheme, we highlight that it’s just “uptime”.
  • du: If you need to find out how much space do all the directories occupy on the hard drive, you can make use of this command to manage the Linux system. In this case, the scheme to use corresponds to du [OPCIONES] [DIRECTORIO] and allows you to choose if you want to reveal a certain directory or not.
  • date: Useful for viewing the system date and time. Also, if you need to work with a specific date when executing a program, this instruction allows you to easily set it, as well as change its format. If you want to use it, the correct syntax is: date [OPCIONES] [FORMATO DE SALIDA].
  • who: This is an instruction that deals with present who is connected to the system at any given moment. Thus, for example, it is useful to reboot the system without anyone noticing at the time.
  • cd: This command is used to navigate Linux files and directories, easily. For this, it is necessary stipulate the name of the directory or its full path. It is even a useful instruction to go to a completely new directory. In general, the syntax to use corresponds to: cd Fotos (for example, to go to Photos which is a subdirectory of Documents).
  • sudo: It is an instruction that Allows you to carry out tasks that require administrative or root permissions. Hence, it is short for “SuperUser Do” which refers to what a superuser can do on Linux.
  • jobs: This is a command that displays each and every one of the current jobs along with their specific statuses. These jobs refer to a process started by the shell.
  • kill: From this command, Linux users will be able to close a program easily, especially when it is not responding. As, “kill” is an instruction that has the ability to send a certain signal to the program that is executing incorrectly to be able to direct you to finish in a timely manner.
  • top: Refers to a command that deals with show a complete list with the running processes and the amount of CPU that each one of them is using. When managing the system, it is of great help to be able to monitor the use of its resources and especially, to know which process should be terminated due to its excessive CPU consumption. In other words, it is a utility similar to Task Manager on Windows computers.
  • chown: Beyond administering the system, this instruction stands out for allowing optimal management around the users that belong to it. Since, it is used to modify or transfer ownership of a file to the specified username. This, because all files are owned by a certain user in the Linux environment.
  • diff: It is based on an instruction that achieves compare the contents of two files line by line and in this way, it allows a detailed analysis of the system files in order to generate the lines that do not match in order to make it easy for programmers to modify the program, without having to transcribe all the source code. Although it is an advanced command for system management, the truth is that it is very profitable.
  • locate: This command takes care of search for files or direct, system-wide, that match a certain query. Taking into account that, it only performs the search in the files that it has permissions and does not have its own database.
  • whatis: Corresponds to a command that focuses on search for the content of a specified word from your own database. In general, it contains brief description of each content and although it is little known, it is very useful to administer the system at an advanced level.