# Let's start Linux !

**A Brief History**

Linux is an open-source operating system that was first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds.

**Basic Linux Commands**

*Listing commands* - These commands are used to list the files and directories in the current working directory.

* `ls -l`\--> list the files and directories in long list format.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680082512884/c629c955-cc79-42c3-86df-5d4dd132f24c.png align="center")
    
* `ls -a` \--> list all including hidden files and directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680082956709/53391011-1e2b-4c6c-9038-53415efccda8.png align="center")
    
* `ls -i` \--> list the files and directories with index numbers.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083008723/52203668-9d2e-4c9c-acee-f616347de314.png align="center")
    
* `ls *.txt` --> list all the files having .txt extensions.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083145446/dcf0f19d-13c3-4dcc-8ecf-9198f3a04723.png align="center")
    

*Directory commands* - These commands are used to create, change directories

* `pwd` --> print work directory. Gives the present working directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083185491/c511263e-295c-443e-890a-888ec3c85c80.png align="center")
    
* `cd` \--> change directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083237333/64fb4827-fc49-430c-9368-76eb7016829f.png align="center")
    
* `cd path` \--> change directory to the provided path.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083284140/3952104e-7902-4066-bccc-0ad3dcce5339.png align="center")
    
* `cd ..` --> change directory to one step back.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083321541/6036a1bc-abdf-418c-b95b-c2116338db7f.png align="center")
    
* `cd /home` -->change to home directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083379658/5392c643-ef24-422b-baf4-89425bbfd4b1.png align="center")
    
* `mkdir directoryname` --> to make a new directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083692173/249f7190-896a-4c02-b895-907a6edebf8e.png align="center")
    
* `mkdir .directoryname` --> to create a hidden directory.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680083747399/99e02873-2e50-4eef-a08f-09760847e00f.png align="center")
    
* `mkdir x y z` --> to create multiple directories.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680084033987/63783506-3e4d-4768-b219-974a41fc06f7.png align="center")
    
* `mkdir -p x/y/z` --> to create nested directories.
    
    ![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680084133244/1b0df7d4-2fa4-4004-bd83-2b0f19ebe74d.png align="center")
    

Thanks for reading.

* Bikram Chatterjee