pwd: Print working directory. | ls -la: List files with details. | cd ~/projects: Change directory.

touch file.txt: Create a file. | mkdir -p app/src: Create nested folders. | cp -r src dist: Copy recursively.

grep -R "TODO" .: Search recursively. | find . -name "*.ts": Find files by name. | sed -n '1,20p' file: Print a line range.

Bash Cheatsheet

Q: Pipes

Chain commands to transform data. cat access.log | grep 500 | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr

Q: Scripting Basics

Quick helpers for automation. #!/usr/bin/env bash set -euo pipefail

Navigate, search, and automate tasks in the terminal with the most useful Bash commands.

When Bash Is the Right Tool

Bash is a strong fit for small automation tasks, deployment glue code, log inspection, file operations, and command pipelines. It is less ideal when the logic becomes stateful, deeply nested, or difficult to test, which is usually the point to switch to a general-purpose language.

Navigation

Key / Code	Description
pwd	Print working directory.
ls -la	List files with details.
cd ~/projects	Change directory.
cd -	Go back to previous directory.

Files & Folders

Key / Code	Description
touch file.txt	Create a file.
mkdir -p app/src	Create nested folders.
cp -r src dist	Copy recursively.
mv old new	Move or rename.
rm -rf temp	Remove files or folders.

Search & Text

Key / Code	Description
grep -R "TODO" .	Search recursively.
find . -name "*.ts"	Find files by name.
sed -n '1,20p' file	Print a line range.
awk '{print $1}' file	Extract columns.

Pipes

Chain commands to transform data.

cat access.log | grep 500 | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr

Scripting Basics

Quick helpers for automation.

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

NAME=devref
echo "Hello $NAME"

for f in *.log; do
  echo "Processing $f"
done

Common Bash Mistakes

The most common Bash problems come from unquoted variables, assuming filenames never contain spaces, and ignoring non-zero exit codes in pipelines. Using strict mode, quoting variables, and testing scripts with representative input prevents most of these failures.

Linux command reference

Use Bash together with the core Linux commands you reach for in daily terminal work.

sed examples

Edit streams and files inline when your Bash scripts need quick transformations.

awk examples

Extract columns and reshape structured text directly from shell pipelines.

Cron syntax guide

Schedule your Bash scripts safely in production and server environments.

Knowledge is power.