6 Linux metacharacters I love to use on the command line
Using metacharacters on the Linux command line is a great way to enhance productivity.
Early in my Linux journey, I learned how to use the command line. It’s what sets Linux apart. I could lose the graphical user interface (GUI), because it was unnecessary to rebuild the machine completely. Many Linux computers run headless, and you can accomplish all the administrative tasks on the command line. It uses many basic commands that all are familiar with—like ls, ls-l, ls-l, cd, pwd, top, and many more.
Using ‘awk’ to filter text
Here’s how to use awk to strip out sample code from a Markdown file.
Use ‘grep’ to solve a 2-dimensional word puzzle
Regular expressions match patterns and help you solve problems.
Using ‘grep’ to play a word game
You can use regular expressions to match letters and patterns, to help you play a letter game.
Regular Expressions #4: Pulling it all together
This series delves into the practical applications of regular expressions within Linux tools such as grep, sed, and awk, demonstrating how to simplify and optimize command-line tasks. The articles guide readers from basic to more complex uses of regex, emphasizing their usefulness in data stream transformation and text manipulation across various tools and programming languages. Through hands-on examples and resource recommendations, the series aims to enhance the reader’s understanding and proficiency with regex in diverse scenarios.
Regular Expressions #3: grep — Data flow and building blocks
In Regular Expressions #1: Introduction, I covered what they are and why they’re useful. In Regular Expressions #2: An example, we looked at a more complex example of the uses of regular expressions.
In this third of four articles you’ll learn how to make tighter matches with your regexes.
Regular Expressions #2: An example
In the previous article, Regular Expressions #1: Introduction, I covered what they are and why they’re useful.
The example in this article highlights the power and flexibility of the Linux command line, especially regular expressions, for their ability to automate common tasks.
Regular Expressions #1: Introduction
Regular expressions don’t have to invoke anxiety and fear, although they do for many of us. The function of regular expressions is to provide a highly flexible tool for matching strings of characters in a stream of data. When a match is found, the program’s action can be as simple as to pass the line of data in which it’s found on to STDOUT, or as copmplex as replacing that string with another.
Seven Linux commands just for fun
Linux was developed by fun-loving people who created an array of fun and even comical commands. Try playing around with these yourself when you want a smile.
How to use udev
Udev is flexible but complex. Learn how to use udev so you can customize how Linux recognizes your devices.
Use lspci on Linux to see your hardware
Sometimes you need to identify the hardware in a system. One command used for this is lspci.
Tweak your system performance with ‘noatime’
Turn off “access time” to make a slight but noticeable improvement on system performance.
The real differences between less, more, and most
Find out what sets these famous Linux pagers apart from one another, and how to choose the right one for your system.
Using tar and ssh for backups
Couples complement each other and each member of the couple contributes unique and irreplaceable parts to the whole. But some couples are very odd. Such is the case with this couple of commands – the tar and ssh commands.
An introduction to the GNU Core Utilities
Most everything a Linux sysadmin needs to do can be found in the GNU coreutils or util-linux.
Navigating the ‘top’ Command in Linux
When checking out Linux systems (or even troubleshooting computers running other operating systems), the top command provides information to assess the computer’s overall health.
It can give a quick overview of what is happening on servers or other Linux systems, including Raspberry Pi with a dynamic real-time view of a running system. But there is so much more to the top command than meets the eye.