Linux and SSH
17 articles.
Archiving a site with tar and zip
Use tar for a compressed .tar.gz on Linux, or zip if a Windows user needs to open it. Commands for both, plus extracting and checking size before download.
Checking disk usage with du and df
du and df answer different questions. df reports free and used space on the filesystem; du shows what's eating your quota, directory by directory.
Copying and moving files with cp and mv
How cp and mv work on Linux, with real path examples for shared hosting and VPS, and the flags that stop overwrite mistakes. Use cp to copy a file or directory and.
Counting lines and identifying files with wc and file
Use wc -l to count lines in logs and code, and file to identify what a file actually is when its extension lies, is missing, or can't be trusted.
Downloading files to the server with wget and curl
Pull files straight to your hosting from a URL with wget or curl over SSH. Commands, flags, resume options, and where root matters on a VPS.
Editing files on the server with nano (and surviving vim)
How to open, edit, and save files over SSH using nano, the easier of the two editors, plus the exact keys that get you unstuck when vim won't let you type.
Environment variables and export
What export actually does in bash, how to set variables for a command, session, or permanently, and where they belong on Flashcloud hosting.
File ownership and chown: why you usually can't on shared hosting
chown fails on shared hosting because you're not root. Here's why permissions work that way, and what to change instead on a typical hosting account.
Finding files by name, size or age with find
Locate files by name, size or modification date with the Linux find command, plus safe ways to act on the results without breaking anything.
Listing files and folders with ls
The ls command lists directory contents over SSH. Use -la for hidden files and permissions, then pair it with cd to navigate your site folders.
Moving around the server with cd and pwd
How to navigate your hosting account over SSH: cd jumps between directories, pwd confirms where you landed, plus shared hosting vs VPS habits.
Reading files with cat, less, head and tail
Four commands for viewing files over SSH: cat dumps it all, less pages through it, head and tail show the ends. When to use each. Use cat to dump a whole small file.
Reusing commands with history and shortcuts
Stop retyping long commands. Use shell history, reverse search, and keyboard shortcuts to recall and edit anything instantly on most accounts.
Searching inside files with grep (find that error in a log)
Use grep to search file contents by keyword or pattern instead of opening files by hand. Covers basic searches, recursive log hunts, and regex patterns.
Seeing what is running with ps and top
How to list processes with ps, watch live usage with top, and read the columns that matter for diagnosing load on your account. Run top for a live, auto-refreshing.
Symbolic links with ln
Create shortcuts between files and directories on Linux with ln -s. Covers relative vs absolute links, common mistakes, and when to use hard links instead.
Testing connectivity with ping and traceroute
How to use ping and traceroute (tracert on Windows) to diagnose connection and DNS issues to your site, and correctly read what each command's output means.
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