Ubuntu CLI cheatsheet 2025
O
Ohidur Rahman Bappy
MAY 24, 2025
🚀 Ubuntu Server CLI Cheat Sheet 2024
Master the most essential Ubuntu CLI commands for everyday use. Whether you’re managing systems, files, packages, users, networks, or containers, this guide is your quick reference.
🖥️ System Management
System Info
uname -a # All system info
hostnamectl # Hostname and OS details
lscpu # CPU architecture info
timedatectl status # System time
Monitoring
top # Real-time processes
htop # Enhanced top (install first)
df -h # Disk usage
free -m # Memory in MB
kill <PID> # Kill a process
Jobs & Background
[command] & # Run in background
jobs # View background jobs
fg <job> # Bring job to foreground
Services
sudo systemctl start|stop|status|reload <service>
journalctl -f # Live logs
journalctl -u <unit> # Specific service logs
Scheduling
crontab -e # Edit cron jobs
crontab -l # List cron jobs
📁 File Management
File Commands
ls # List files
touch file # Create file
cp src dest # Copy
mv src dest # Move/rename
rm file # Delete file
Directory Commands
pwd # Current dir
cd dir # Change dir
mkdir dir # Create dir
Permissions & Ownership
chmod u+x file # Make executable
chown user:group file # Change ownership
Search & Find
find . -name "file" # Find by name
grep "text" file # Search text
Archive & Compress
tar -czvf archive.tar.gz files # Compress
tar -xvf archive.tar.gz # Extract
Text Editing
nano file # Open in Nano
cat file # Print content
less file # View paginated
head file # First lines
tail file # Last lines
awk '{print}' file # Line-by-line print
📦 Package Management
APT (Advanced Packaging Tool)
sudo apt install pkg # Install
sudo apt install -f --reinstall pkg # Reinstall broken
apt search pkg # Search
apt-cache policy pkg # Show versions
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade # Update & upgrade
sudo apt remove|purge pkg # Remove
Snap
snap find pkg # Search Snap
sudo snap install pkg # Install
sudo snap remove pkg # Remove
sudo snap refresh # Update all
snap list # List installed
snap info pkg # Info
👥 User & Group Management
Users
w # Who's logged in
sudo adduser user # Add user
sudo deluser user # Delete user
sudo passwd user # Change password
su user # Switch user
sudo passwd -l|-u user # Lock/unlock user
Groups
id user # User IDs
groups user # User’s groups
sudo addgroup group # Add group
sudo delgroup group # Delete group
🌐 Networking
Interfaces & IPs
ip addr show # IP info
ip -s link # Stats
ss -l # Listening sockets
ping host # Ping
Netplan
cat /etc/netplan/*.yaml
sudo netplan try
sudo netplan apply
Firewall (UFW)
sudo ufw status|enable|disable
sudo ufw allow|deny port
sudo ufw delete allow|deny port
Remote Access
ssh user@host # SSH
scp file user@host:path # Secure copy
📦 Containers with LXD
Setup
lxd init
Create Instances
lxc init ubuntu:22.04 name # Create container
lxc launch ubuntu:24.04 name # Start container
lxc launch ubuntu:22.04 name --vm # Start VM
Manage Instances
lxc list|info|start|stop|delete name
Access & Files
lxc exec name -- command
lxc exec name -- bash
lxc console name
lxc file pull name/path localpath
lxc file push localpath name/path
Projects
lxc project create name
lxc project set name key=value
lxc project switch name
🛡️ Ubuntu Pro
Activation
sudo pro attach <token>
Services
sudo pro status
sudo pro enable|disable <service>
Security Add-ons
sudo pro enable esm-infra # Infrastructure ESM
sudo pro enable esm-apps # Apps ESM
sudo pro enable livepatch # Kernel patch without reboot
sudo pro enable fips # FIPS compliance
Other
sudo pro refresh # Refresh config
sudo pro detach # Remove Ubuntu Pro