Basic Linux Shell Commands for VPS Web Hosting Admins

Note (January, 2012): This page is still under construction. Still very rough. I'll be working on it as time permits, as this is an important page.

This page contains (will contain) a cheat-sheet of Linux shell command-line commands I found essential for administrating my Virtual Private Server (VPS).

I'm certainly no Linux guru, but have been able to learn enough about the Linux shell and its commands to get things done with my VPS.

Let me just say that learning how to use the command line will make your life administering a Linux-based VPS much easier.

I learned what I needed by asking the tech support folks at my web host (who are very helpful), and from LinuxCommand.org.

For further info, I plan to read (and would recommend) Mark Sobell's Practical Guide to Linux Commands and Shell Programming.

First command you need to know » "pwd" (typed without quotes) to see what directory (folder) you are curently in.

Then you'll need to know how to unzip, or unarchive compressed files:
"unzip -a yourfile.zip"

For this to work, you have first navigate to the directory where the *.zip file is located. Otherwise you'll have to include the full directory path.

Normally when you launch PuTTY, you'll automatically find yourself in your "home" directory (/radified) .. not to be confused with your /home directory ( .. which I have confused the two).

Most of my unzipping is done in my /cgi-bin folder, which is located:
/home/radified/public_html/cgi-bin

Update September, 2009 - This topic, I've realized, is too large to include in this guide. I've since done much study, learning the Unix / Linux shell (bash). You can follow my footsteps here » Using the Unix/Linux shell command-line .. by reviewing the notes I made (summer, 2009).

Most of the info you'll need as a VPS admin is contained in that very first post. It may not be pretty (the forum formatting), but there's a lot of great info contaned in that post.

You might also appreciate this entry, titled » 10 Points to Illuminate the UNIX Culture. (I did.)