The Dir Command in Linux - An Overview with Examples

Overview of Linux dir Command

The Linux dir command is a command-line utility used to list the contents of a directory. It is one of the most frequently used commands by Linux users. The dir command is similar to the ls command but has some additional options which make it useful for listing directories. This article will explain the basic syntax and usage of the dir command with some examples.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the dir command is dir [options] [files]. Here, options represents a set of options that can be used to customize the output of the command and files are the names or paths of the files/directories for which you want to show the listing.

Usage Examples

Given below are some examples of how the dir command can be used:

• dir /etc - Lists the contents of the /etc directory.
• dir /etc/cron* - Lists all files which start with cron in the /etc directory.
• dir -l - Lists the contents of the current working directory in a long format.
• dir -1 - Lists the contents of the current working directory in one column.
• dir -R - Lists all the files and subdirectories recursively.
• dir ~ - Lists the contents of the home directory of the current user.

Conclusion

The dir command is a useful command-line utility for listing the contents of a directory. It is similar to the ls command but provides more options and flexibility. Make sure to try out the examples provided in this article if you want to learn more about this command.