Mac on linux command line how to#
Mac on linux command line windows#

See what files and directories are in your current locationĪlways remember to type pwd before writing any commands to make sure you know where you are.īy default, if you quit Terminal, you will end up back in your home directory. You can also press clear at any point to wipe all the history and have a clean screen. We're going to move between directories, create files and folders, delete them, move them, copy and paste them, and edit files.

Mac on linux command line how to#

We're going to learn how to do a lot of the regular things you do on a computer with a mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

Mac on linux command line windows#

On a Windows computer, this is represented by a > symbol.Ī terminal or command prompt is a program (command line interface) that runs a shell, which interprets the commands. READY ( $) - A dollar sign signifies that the prompt is ready to accept your command.Username (taniarascia) - This might be slightly confusing because my home folder AND username are both taniarascia, but this is specifically referring to the computer user.~ stands for home directory, which is my taniarascia folder. Directory ( ~ ) - Directly next to the computer name is the current directory you're working in.Computer Name (NolBook) - That's just the name I gave my computer.pwd stands for Print Working Directory, and will show me exactly 'where I am' at any point. I'm going to prove this by typing pwd into the terminal, then pressing enter. Just as I was 'in' the taniarascia folder in Google Chrome and Finder, I'm currently 'in' the same folder via the command prompt/terminal. This is simply a personal preference, which we can learn to change later. Yours might be white or blue or different depending on what you're using.

I'm going to open Terminal.app by opening Spotlight search (command + spacebar) and type in Terminal. The same is true of the command line interface. If I open Google Chrome and I type in /Users/taniarascia, I'll be in the same place. I can access the same exact files through a web browser. On a Mac, if I open Finder, this is my home folder. It's the same computer you already know and love. You can do everything through the command line.

Your entire computer can be accessed through the command line. Instead of dragging and dropping, pointing and clicking, you're typing. Take away the file explorer, the desktop, the icons, and all the other graphics, and you're left with the command line. This is known as a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Windows, macOS - whatever operating system you're using - is simply a visual representation of your computer. I promise this is the most important thing to understand, and it completely blew my mind when I finally understood it.

Connecting to another computer or server.

Copying and pasting files and directories.

Show current directory and contents of directory.

Learn some basic terminology related to the command line.

Learn what the command line interface is and how it relates to your computer.

There are no prerequisites to this article - as long as you have basic computer literacy you'll be able to follow along.

Even if you use a Windows PC, this will be useful to learn as your websites are likely hosted on a Linux server. If you have a basic or intermediate knowledge of the command line, you may learn some new tips and tricks.Īpple macOS and most Linux servers use almost all the exact same commands, so this tutorial applies to both. If you've never used the command line, this article will be extremely helpful to you. Follow along in this tutorial and you'll see how simple it is to use, and how powerful it can be. Learning to use the command line will open up endless possibilities for you - it is undoubtedly essential in web development and programming, but even regular users doing everyday tasks will benefit. When I inevitably encountered a situation where I had to gain some basic command line knowledge, I discovered how useful and easy it is. I thought it was something only really advanced users knew anything about. I didn't know anything about it, and it seemed scary and overwhelming. You might be like me - I used computers for twenty years without ever touching a command prompt.