Terminal Commands Every Developer Should Know

The terminal is one of the most powerful tools in a developer's toolkit. It gives you precise control over your system, your code, and your environment. Whether you’re building apps, managing servers, or just trying to debug faster, mastering a handful of terminal commands can dramatically improve your workflow.

This article walks through essential terminal commands every developer should know, regardless of whether you're on macOS, Linux, or even Windows using WSL or Git Bash.

Basic Navigation Commands

pwd

Prints the current directory you're in.

pwd

Output might look like:

/Users/yourname/projects/my-app

ls

Lists the contents of a directory.

ls

With flags:

ls -l      # Long format
ls -a      # Show hidden files
ls -lah    # Combined and human-readable

cd

Changes the current directory.

cd projects
cd ..
cd ~/Desktop

Working with Files and Directories

touch

Creates a new empty file.

touch index.html

mkdir

Creates a new directory.

mkdir assets
mkdir -p src/components

rm

Removes files or directories. Be cautious — this is irreversible.

rm file.txt
rm -rf node_modules

cp

Copies files or directories.

cp file1.txt file2.txt
cp -r src/ backup/

mv

Moves or renames files and folders.

mv old.txt new.txt
mv file.txt ../

Viewing and Editing Content

cat

Outputs the contents of a file.

cat README.md

less

Scroll through the contents of a file page by page.

less largefile.log

Use q to quit.

nano / vim / code

Edit files directly from the terminal using editors like nano, vim, or VS Code CLI:

nano app.js
vim index.html
code .

Process Management

top or htop

Displays real-time CPU and memory usage. htop is more advanced but may require installation.

ps

Lists running processes.

ps aux | grep node

kill

Kills a process by PID.

kill 1234
kill -9 5678

Ctrl + C

Interrupts a running command or process in the terminal. Especially useful for stopping servers or CLI tools.

Searching and Filtering

grep

Searches for text in files or output.

grep "hello" file.txt
ps aux | grep chrome

find

Finds files by name or pattern.

find . -name "*.js"
find / -type f -name "config.json"

which

Shows the full path of an installed command.

which node
which git

history

Displays previously used commands.

history | grep npm

Package Managers

npm / yarn

Used for JavaScript/Node.js projects.

npm install axios
yarn add lodash

brew

macOS package manager for installing tools.

brew install git
brew upgrade node

apt / apt-get

Used on Debian/Ubuntu systems for package management.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl

Version Control Commands (Git)

git status

Shows which files are staged, modified, or untracked.

git status

git add

Stages files for commit.

git add index.js
git add .

git commit

Commits changes with a message.

git commit -m "Add login feature"

git log

Shows commit history.

git log --oneline

git diff

Shows changes between commits or staging area and working directory.

git diff
git diff HEAD~1

Networking Commands

curl

Sends HTTP requests from the terminal.

curl https://api.github.com/users/octocat

ping

Tests connectivity to a host.

ping google.com

traceroute

Shows the route packets take to a destination.

traceroute github.com

ssh

Connects securely to a remote machine.

ssh user@yourserver.com

Other Useful Shortcuts

!! → Repeats the last command
!n → Runs the command at line n in history
Ctrl + L → Clears the terminal
Ctrl + R → Search command history interactively
Tab → Autocomplete file or command

Combining Commands

Pipes

Send the output of one command into another.

ls -l | grep ".js"

Redirect Output

echo "Hello" > file.txt       # Write to file
echo "Another line" >> file.txt  # Append to file

Chaining Commands

npm run build && npm start

This runs the second command only if the first one succeeds.

Checking Disk and System Info

df -h

Shows available disk space in human-readable format.

du -sh *

Shows folder sizes in current directory.

uname -a

Displays system info like kernel version, OS type, etc.

whoami

Displays the current logged-in user.