Navigation Commands

5 minute read

Before you can do anything useful on Linux, you need to move around the filesystem. These commands are the foundation of everything else.

pwd — Print Working Directory

pwd tells you exactly where you are in the filesystem:

pwd
# /home/ubuntu

cd /var/log
pwd
# /var/log

cd ~
pwd
# /home/ubuntu

ls — List Directory Contents

ls is the most-used Linux command. Its flags dramatically change what it shows:

Basic Usage

ls
# bin  Desktop  Documents  Downloads  projects

ls /etc
# apt  bash.bashrc  crontab  group  hosts  nginx  passwd  ...

ls /var/log
# apt  auth.log  dpkg.log  kern.log  syslog  ...

Essential Flags

# -l: long format (permissions, owner, size, date)
ls -l
# total 36
# drwxr-xr-x 2 ubuntu ubuntu 4096 Apr  1 09:00 Desktop
# drwxr-xr-x 2 ubuntu ubuntu 4096 Apr  1 09:00 Documents
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu  220 Mar 15 08:00 .bash_logout

# -a: show all files, including hidden (dot files)
ls -a
# .  ..  .bashrc  .profile  .ssh  Desktop  Documents  Downloads

# -la: combine long format + all files (most common combo)
ls -la
# total 60
# drwxr-x--- 7 ubuntu ubuntu 4096 Apr  1 09:00 .
# drwxr-xr-x 4 root   root   4096 Mar 15 08:00 ..
# -rw------- 1 ubuntu ubuntu  123 Apr  1 09:00 .bash_history
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu  220 Mar 15 08:00 .bash_logout
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu 3526 Mar 15 08:00 .bashrc

# -h: human-readable sizes (KB, MB, GB instead of bytes)
ls -lh
# total 36K
# drwxr-xr-x 2 ubuntu ubuntu 4.0K Apr  1 09:00 Desktop
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu 1.2M Apr  1 09:00 backup.tar.gz

# -R: recursive — list directory and all subdirectories
ls -R projects/
# projects/:
# api  frontend  scripts
# projects/api:
# Dockerfile  main.go  go.mod
# projects/frontend:
# index.html  styles.css

# -t: sort by modification time (newest first)
ls -lt
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu 2048 Apr  1 10:00 latest.log
# -rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu 1024 Apr  1 09:00 older.log

# -S: sort by file size (largest first)
ls -lhS /var/log
# -rw-r----- 1 syslog adm   45M Apr  1 10:00 syslog
# -rw-r----- 1 syslog adm   12M Apr  1 10:00 auth.log

# --color=auto: coloured output (usually on by default)
ls --color=auto
# Directories in blue, executables in green, symlinks in cyan

# Combine flags — list all files, human-readable, sorted by time
ls -laht

Reading ls -l Output

-rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu 3526 Mar 15 08:00 .bashrc
│          │ │      │      │    │             │
│          │ │      │      │    │             └── Filename
│          │ │      │      │    └── Last modified date
│          │ │      │      └── File size (bytes unless -h)
│          │ │      └── Group owner
│          │ └── User owner
│          └── Number of hard links
└── Permissions: [type][user][group][other]
    -  = regular file
    d  = directory
    l  = symbolic link
    rw-r--r-- = owner can read+write, group can read, others can read

cd — Change Directory

# Go to an absolute path
cd /var/log

# Go to home directory (three equivalent ways)
cd ~
cd $HOME
cd          # cd with no argument goes to home

# Go up one directory
cd ..

# Go up two directories
cd ../..

# Go to the previous directory (toggle between two dirs)
cd -
# /var/log
cd -
# /home/ubuntu

# Go into a directory relative to current location
cd projects/api

# Autocomplete with Tab key (type partial name and press Tab)
cd /var/l[Tab]   → cd /var/log/

pushd and popd — Directory Stack

pushd and popd let you maintain a stack of directories and jump between them:

# Start in home
pwd
# /home/ubuntu

# Push /var/log onto the stack and go there
pushd /var/log
# /var/log ~
# (prints the stack: /var/log is current, ~ is saved)

# Push /etc onto the stack
pushd /etc
# /etc /var/log ~

# Show the directory stack
dirs
# /etc /var/log ~
# (leftmost = current, rightmost = oldest)

# Pop back to /var/log
popd
# /var/log ~

# Pop back to home
popd
# ~

pwd
# /home/ubuntu

pushd/popd are useful when navigating between multiple deeply nested directories:

# Example workflow: editing config while monitoring logs
pushd /etc/nginx          # Go to nginx config
vim nginx.conf            # Edit the config
pushd /var/log/nginx      # Go check the logs
tail -f access.log        # Monitor logs
popd                      # Back to /etc/nginx

tree — Visualise Directory Hierarchy

tree prints the directory structure as a visual tree — great for understanding project layouts:

# Install tree first (may not be pre-installed)
sudo apt install tree

# Show current directory structure
tree
# .
# ├── configs/
# │   ├── nginx.conf
# │   └── redis.conf
# ├── scripts/
# │   ├── backup.sh
# │   └── deploy.sh
# └── README.md

# Limit depth
tree -L 2 /etc
# /etc
# ├── apt/
# │   ├── apt.conf.d/
# │   └── sources.list
# ├── nginx/
# │   ├── conf.d/
# │   └── nginx.conf
# └── ssh/
#     └── sshd_config

# Show hidden files
tree -a ~/

# Show file sizes
tree -h ~/projects/
# .
# ├── [4.0K]  api/
# │   ├── [ 12K]  main.go
# │   └── [1.2K]  go.mod

# Show only directories
tree -d /var

# Limit output and pipe through less
tree -L 3 / | less

# Directory shortcuts
~         # Your home directory (/home/username)
.         # Current directory
..        # Parent directory
-         # Previous directory (used with cd)
/         # Root directory

# Quick navigation
cd ~      # Go home
cd -      # Toggle between last two directories
cd ..     # Up one level
cd ../..  # Up two levels

# Tab completion
ls /va[Tab]    → ls /var/
ls /var/l[Tab] → ls /var/log/   (if unique)
cd ~/pr[Tab]   → cd ~/projects/ (if unique)
# Double-Tab shows all completions when ambiguous

Key Takeaways

  • pwd always tells you exactly where you are — use it when you feel lost
  • ls -la is the most information-rich list view — combine flags freely
  • ls -lh makes file sizes readable (KB, MB, GB)
  • cd - is the fastest way to toggle between two directories
  • pushd/popd build a navigation stack — ideal for multi-directory workflows
  • tree -L 2 gives an instant overview of any project or config directory
  • Tab completion saves time — use it constantly
← Back to Common Commands Overview Next → File Management Commands

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