Terminal Cheatsheet

terminal
cheatsheet
guide
A quick reference guide for common terminal commands.
Author

Dr Jon Cardoso-Silva

Last updated

14 July 2025

ME204 course icon

Zsh/Bash ( Mac or Linux)

Since everyone in this course will be using the same cloud environment on Nuvolos, we will all be using the same bash shell.

File Operations

  • cat [file]: Display the contents of a file
  • cp [source] [destination]: Copy a file or directory
  • mv [source] [destination]: Move or rename a file or directory
  • grep [pattern] [file]: Search for a pattern in a file
  • chmod [permissions] [file]: Change file permissions

Process Management

  • ps: List running processes
  • kill [PID]: Terminate a process
  • top: Display system activity and process information

PowerShell ( Win)

You will not need to use PowerShell in this course, but it is the equivalent of bash on Windows. Here are some of the equivalent commands for your reference.

File Operations

  • gc [file]: Get the contents of a file
  • cp [source] [destination]: Copy a file or directory
  • mv [source] [destination]: Move or rename a file or directory
  • sls [pattern] [file]: Search for a pattern in a file
  • icacls [file] /grant [permissions]: Change file permissions

Process Management

  • ps: List running processes
  • kill [PID]: Terminate a process
  • tasklist: Display running tasks