Learn about LS command in Linux

The ls command in Linux is used to list the files and directories in a specified directory. It provides various options and arguments to customize the output and the information displayed. Here’s a detailed explanation of the ls command:

Basic Usage:

ls [options] [file/directory]

Options:

1. -a or --all: Shows hidden files (files starting with a dot .).
2. -l: Displays a detailed listing with additional information, such as permissions, owner, group, size, modification date, and name.
3. -h: When used with -l, shows file sizes in a human-readable format (e.g., KB, MB, GB).
4. -R or --recursive: Recursively lists files and subdirectories.
5. -S: Sorts files by size.
6. -t: Sorts files by modification time, with the most recently modified files listed first.
7. -r or --reverse: Reverses the order of sorting.
8. -G or --no-group: Suppresses the display of group information in the long format.
9. -o: Displays the long format listing without group information.
10. -i or --inode: Prints the index number (inode) of each file.
11. --color: Enables colorized output for different types of files.
12. --help: Displays the help message for the ls command.

Examples:

1. List all files and directories in the current directory:

ls

2. List all files (including hidden files) in a directory:

ls -a

3. List files with detailed information (long format):

ls -l

4. List files with human-readable file sizes and in long format:

ls -lh

5. List files recursively in all subdirectories:

ls -R

6. List files sorted by size:

ls -S

7. List files sorted by modification time (newest first):

ls -t

8. List files in reverse order of modification time (oldest first):

ls -tr

9. List only directories (excluding files):

ls -d */

10. List files with colored output:

ls --color

Note:

The above examples cover some commonly used options of the ls command. You can combine multiple options to customize the output further. Additionally, you can specify a file or directory as an argument to ls to list its contents. The ls command is versatile and provides various ways to view and organize file information in a directory. For a complete list of options and details, you can refer to the ls command’s manual page by running:

man ls