Command Line#
The command line solves the problem of interacting with a computer’s operating system and software through text-based commands, offering greater control and flexibility for system administration and development tasks.
The command line, often referred to as the command-line interface (CLI) or the terminal, is a text-based interface for interacting with a computer’s operating system and executing commands. Instead of using a graphical user interface (GUI) with icons and buttons, users interact with the computer by typing text-based commands into a terminal window.
You access the CLI through a program called a command-line interpreter, or shell. On Windows the default command-line interpreter is called Command Prompt (cmd.exe) and can be found by typing cmd
into the search bar. On unix based operating systems like macOS and Linux the default shell program is typically Bash (Bourne Again SHell). You can find it by simply typing Terminal
into your computer’s search bar.
Because Windows and unix based systems have different shell programs, the commands used in them also differ. Some of the most basic ones are the same, while others like cd
(change directory) may seem the same, but work a bit differently.
In general, shells on unix based systems are vastly superior to Command Prompt, which is why Microsoft also came up with PowerShell.
Here is a great, in-depth tutorial on using the command line for beginners: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/command-line-for-beginners/#mostcommonandusefulcommandstouse.
Apple / Linux computers#
Here is a short list of the most important commands on unix based systems: https://builtin.com/software-engineering-perspectives/terminal-commands
Windows computers#
…and here is the same for the Command Prompt: https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/windows-cmd-commands/