When it comes to Linux command line operations, lsit is a very basic but very important command. It is used to list files and directories, helping you browse and understand the contents of the current working directory. In this blog post, we will introduce the basic usage of the ls command and some common usage examples.
What is the ls command?
lsIt is the abbreviation of "list" Linuxand is Unixa command line tool in operating systems used to list the contents of files and directories. It allows users to view the name, permissions, size, modification date and other information of files and directories. The ls command is typically used to explore a file system, find specific files, or simply understand what is in the current directory.
Basic usage
lsThe basic syntax of the command is as follows:
ls [选项] [文件/目录]
- [Options]: ls supports a variety of options that you can use to customize the format and content of the output.
- [File/Directory]: Specify the file or directory whose contents are to be listed. If no file or directory is specified, the contents of the current working directory will be listed by default.
Common options
Here are some commonly used lsoptions:
| options | meaning |
|---|---|
| -a | Show all files and directories, including hidden files (files or directories starting with . are considered hidden) |
| -A | Shows all files and directories, including hidden files (files or directories starting with . are considered hidden), but does not list "." and "…" |
| -l | List files and directories in long format, including details such as permissions, owner, group, size, modification date, etc. |
| -h | Display file and directory sizes in human-readable format, such as K, M, G, etc. |
| -t | Sort files and directories by modification time, newest files will be displayed first |
| -S | Sort files and directories by file size, largest files will appear first |
| -R | Recursively list the contents of subdirectories |
| -i | Display inode numbers of files and directories |
| -d | Only display information about the directory itself, not the contents within the directory |
Usage example
- Display file size in human-readable format
ls -lh
This will display the size of files and directories in K, M, G, etc., making it easier to understand.
- Recursively list the contents of subdirectories
ls -R
This will recursively list everything in the current directory and its subdirectories.
- List all files and directories in the current directory in long format
ls -la
This will list all the files and directories of the current directory in a detailed long format, including information such as permissions, owner, group, size, modification date, etc.
Summarize
lsThe command is Linuxa powerful and basic tool in the system that allows users to view the contents of the file system. By understanding the different options, you can customize the format and content of the output as needed, improving efficiency and convenience in the command line environment. Hopefully this article helped you better understand the various options of the ls command and how to Linuxuse it to manage files and directories in .