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Linux File and Directory Management Commands

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This section covers file and directory management commands that DevOps engineers use daily while working with application code, logs, configuration files, and automation scripts.

mkdir – Create Directory

Used to create a new directory.

mkdir logs

mkdir -p – Create Parent Directories

Creates parent directories automatically if they do not exist.

mkdir -p app/config/nginx

📌 DevOps Use Case: Creating nested directory structures in one command.

rmdir – Remove Empty Directory

Used to delete an empty directory.

rmdir old_logs

⚠️ If the directory is not empty, this command will fail.

rm -rf – Remove Files and Directories Forcefully

Deletes files or directories recursively and forcefully.

rm -rf temp/

⚠️ Warning: This command permanently deletes data. Use with extreme caution in production.

touch – Create Empty File

Used to create an empty file or update file timestamp.

touch app.log

vi – Edit Files

Used to create or edit files using the vi editor.

vi config.yaml

📌 Common vi modes: - Insert mode (i) - Save and exit (:wq) - Exit without saving (:q!)

cat – View File Content

Used to print or read the content of a file.

cat file_name

tree – Display Directory Structure

Displays directory structure in a tree format.

tree

📌 DevOps Tip: Useful for understanding project folder layout.

cp – Copy Files or Directories

Used to copy files or directories.

cp source.txt destination.txt

Copy directories recursively:

cp -r app/ backup_app/

mv – Move or Rename Files

Used to move or rename files and directories.

mv old.txt new.txt

Practice Tasks

  1. Create a directory named project
  2. Inside it, create logs/app
  3. Create a file named app.log
  4. Copy app.log to backup.log
  5. Rename backup.log to app_backup.log
  6. Delete the logs directory

🧠 Quick Quiz – File Management

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Which command creates parent directories automatically if they do not exist?

📝 Want More Practice?

To strengthen your understanding and prepare for interviews, try the full 20-question practice quiz based on this chapter:

👉 Start File & Directory Management Quiz (20 Questions)

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