The “ls” command, (short for list) is used to list the contents of a directory.
What’s a directory you ask? Put simply, a directory in Linux is a folder in which you store files. NOTE: If you’d like to know more about Linux directories, I’ve linked off to Fireships video on the topic. Let’s take a look at the “ls” command in action. Start by typing “ls” and press enter. The result returned is a list of the files and directories in alphabetical order.
By default, the “ls” command returns the contents of the current directory, but you’re able to pass in the name of a different directory as well.
For example, if I pass in another directory, for example, /home I’m now able to see the contents of this directory.
The “ls” command comes with some useful options flags, starting with the “- l” flag. The “-l” flag stands for ’long listing format’ and provides detailed information about each file and directory.
To add the “-l” flag on, type “ls -l” then press enter, with the resulting output then displaying permissions, number of links, owner, group, size, modification date, and name of each item.
Another useful option is “-a”, which stands for ‘all’. This option shows all files, including hidden ones.
NOTE: Hidden files in Linux start with a period. Now, let’s run this command. As you can see, ls -a lists all files, including the hidden ones.
You can also combine options. For example, “ls -la” combines the both the “-l" Flag and the “-a” flag.
That’s it for my introduction to the “ls” command in Linux! Let me know in the comments if there are any other Linux commands or topics you’d like me to cover.
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