The ls command | Computing (2024)

The ls command is used to list files. "ls" on its own lists all files in the current directory except for hidden files. "ls *.tex" lists only those files ending in ".tex". There are a large number of options; here are some of the most useful. Options can be combined (this is a general principle of Unix commands) - for example "ls -la" gives a long listing of all files.

  • ls -a will list all files including hidden files (files with names beginning with a dot).
  • ls -F gives a full listing, indicating what type files are by putting a slash after directories and a star after executable files (programs you can run).
  • ls -l gives a long listing of all files. Here is an example section of the output of ls -l :
    drwxr-xr-x 6 eva users 1024 Jun 8 16:46 sabon-rw------- 1 eva users 1564 Apr 28 14:35 splus-rw------- 1 eva users 1119 Apr 28 16:00 splus2-rw-r--r-- 1 eva users 9753 Sep 27 11:14 ssh_known_hosts-rw-r--r-- 1 eva users 4131 Sep 21 15:23 swlist.out-rw-r--r-- 1 eva users 94031 Sep 1 16:07 tarnti.zip

    What does it all mean?

    • The first column gives the type of the file (e.g., directory or ordinary file) and the file permissions.
    • The second column is the number of links to the file i.e., (more or less) the number of names there are for the file. Generally an ordinary file will only have one link, but a directory will have more, because you can refer to it as ``dirname'', ``dirname/.'' where the dot means ``current directory'', and if it has a subdirectory named ``subdir'', ``dirname/subdir/..'' (the ``..'' means ``parent directory'').
    • The third and fourth columns are the user who owns the file and the Unix group of users to which the file belongs. Unless you are working together on the same file, you need not worry about Unix groups.
    • The fifth column is the size of the file in bytes.
    • The next three columns are the time at which the file was last changed (for a directory, this is the time at which a file in that directory was last created or deleted).
    • The last column is the name of the file.
  • ls -R gives a recursive listing, including the contents of all subdirectories and their subdirectories and so on.
  • ls -t lists the files in order of the time when they were last modified (newest first) rather than in alphabetical order.
  • ls -r lists the files in the reverse of the order that they would otherwise have been listed in. Thus, ls -lrt will give a long listing, oldest first, which is handy for seeing which files in a large directory have recently been changed.
The ls command | Computing (2024)

FAQs

What is the ls command in command? ›

The ls command is used to list files. "ls" on its own lists all files in the current directory except for hidden files.

What is the ls stat command? ›

The 'ls' Command. When compared to the 'ls' command, the output from the 'stat' command focuses mainly on file system details like inodes, block sizes, and verbose descriptions of the file's permissions and timestamp attributes.

What are the results of ls command? ›

In its most basic form, the ls command displays the files and directories in your current directory. Notice that the ls command displays its output in alphabetical order. If you're using a color-enabled terminal emulator, the ls listing will display different types of entries in different colors.

What is the argument in the ls command? ›

Advanced Usage: 'ls' Command Options
ArgumentDescriptionExample
-hDisplays file size in human-readable format.ls -lh
-RLists subdirectories recursively.ls -R
-SSorts files by size.ls -S
-1Lists one file per line.ls -1
7 more rows
Dec 14, 2023

What is the ls ID command? ›

The lsid command displays the current LSF version number, cluster name, and host name of the current LSF management host for your cluster.

What is the ls path command? ›

For example, the absolute path to the ls command is: /usr/bin/ls . If it's not absolute, then it's a relative path. The relative path is relative to your present working directory. If you are in your home directory, for example, the ls command's relative path is: . ./../usr/bin/ls .

Is ls a system command? ›

In computing, ls is a command to list computer files and directories in Unix and Unix-like operating systems. It is specified by POSIX and the Single UNIX Specification. Long file listing with ls --color=auto -l in Linux showing various modes, date formats, colors and appended indicators (executables and directories).

What is the ls command exec? ›

"exec ls" overrides your current shell with the "ls" process. Thus as soon as "ls" terminates your terminal closes. exec overwrites the running process with a new process image. So, in your current process, the shell you're running is overwritten by the ls executable image, and once ls exits, the process is shut down.

How do you count using ls command? ›

The wc command stands for word count and the -l option tells it to count lines instead of words. So when you run ls . | wc -l , you're listing all the files and directories in the current directory and then counting the number of lines in that output, which effectively counts the number of files and directories.

What is total in ls command? ›

The total line in the ls -l command's output offers a quick and alternative way to estimate the drive space used by files and directories. This information might be useful for managing storage-related issues, especially on systems with limited storage.

What happens when you run ls command? ›

Syntax of `ls` command in Linux

'ls' will display the contents of the current directory. By default, 'ls' lists files and directories in alphabetical order.

What is the purpose of the ls command a option? ›

The (ls -a) command will enlist the whole list of the current directory including the hidden files. It will show the list in a long list format.

What does ls do? ›

It is designed to list the names and features of files and directories. It can be used for a single file or as many as all files and folders in a selected set of directories.

How to use ls terminal? ›

To show all entries for files, including those that begin with a dot (.), use the ls -a command. You can format the output in the following ways: List one entry per line, using the -l flag. List entries in multiple columns, by specifying either the -C or -x flag.

How to see hidden files in Linux using ls? ›

The "ls" command has many options that, when passed, affect the output. For example, the "-a" option will show all files and folders, including hidden ones. This time, we see a few more items in the list. The "." and ".." items simply represent the current directory and one level up respectively.

What is the ls equivalent in CMD? ›

However, we have an alternative that does work in the Command Prompt. The ls command equivalent on Windows is “dir,” which is short for directory. The dir command is supported in the command prompt on Windows 10 and 11, but Powershell lets you use the ls command to list directories and files.

What is the use of ls in CMD? ›

Usage. You can use the lsrun command together with other utility commands such as lsplace, lsload, and lsloadadj to write load sharing applications in the form of UNIX shell scripts. The lsrun command supports interactive job control. Suspending the lsrun command suspends both the task and the lsrun command.

How to check list in cmd? ›

How to Check Commands in CMD. Open the Command Prompt program on your computer. Type in "Help" when the window appears and hit Enter to pull up a list of all the available commands. To learn how a specific command works, type "help" followed by the command for more details.

What does the ln command do? ›

The ln command is a standard Unix command utility used to create a hard link or a symbolic link (symlink) to an existing file or directory.

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