Kali Linux Command Reference: Basic to Intermediate Shell

Posted on Dec 19, 2025 in Computers

This cheat sheet covers essential commands for system navigation, file management, user administration, and networking in Kali Linux, spanning foundational concepts (Lessons 1-2) and more advanced topics (Lessons 3-4).

System Information and Navigation

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
OS Infouname -aShow kernel, version, and architecture
HostnamehostnameShow the system’s hostname (L3-4)
List filesls, ls -l, ls -als-l = detailed listing, -a = show hidden files
Manualman <cmd>View command help documentation (L1-2)
Clear screenclearSame as cls in Windows (L1-2)
Current directorypwdShow current working directory
Move directoriescd <dir>, cd .., cd ~Move to directory / go up one level / go home
Make directorymkdir <dir>Create a new folder
Rename / Movemv <src> <dst>Rename or move files/directories
Delete file/directoryrm -r <dir>Remove directory and its contents recursively
Copy filecp <src> <dst>Duplicate a file

Files and Editing

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
View filecat <file>Display the entire file contents
Create textecho "text" > file.txtWrite text to a file (no editor needed)
Edit textnano <file>Open the Nano text editor
Search textgrep "word" <file>Find a keyword within a file
Page outputmore <file>Scroll forward one page at a time (L3-4)
Advanced pagingless <file>Scroll forward/backward, search capabilities (L3-4)
Pipe output<cmd1> | <cmd2>Pass output of command 1 as input to command 2
Archive filestar cvzf <file>.tar.gz <folder>Create compressed tar.gz archive (L3-4)
Extract archivetar xvzf <file>.tar.gzExtract tar.gz file (x=extract, v=verbose, z=gzip, f=filename) (L3-4)
Zip fileszip <archive>.zip *Compress all files in current directory into a zip (L3-4)
Unzip filesunzip <archive>.zipExtract contents of a zip file (L3-4)

Users and Privileges

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
Add useradduser <name>Create a new user account (L1-2)
View user infoid <user>Show User ID (UID), Group ID (GID), and groups
Default UIDskali=1000, new=1001+UIDs assigned in creation order (L1-2)
Logged-in userwhoamiShows the currently logged-in user
Add sudo rightssudo usermod -aG sudo <user>Grant administrative access (add user to sudo group) (L1-2)
Check sudo accessid <user>Should list the sudo group membership
Become rootsudo -sObtain a temporary administrative shell
Root prompt indicator#Indicates you are running as the root user (L1-2)
New terminal securityOpens as user againSecurity measure: no persistent root session (L1-2)
Security practiceUse sudo when neededPrevents system damage or accidental malware execution (L1-2)

Passwords and Policies

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
View policychage <user>Show password aging settings
Password file/etc/shadowStores password hashes and expiry information
Hash typeyescryptHashing algorithm used for user passwords
Max days99999Password validity period
Last changee.g., 20186Days since 1 Jan 1970 (e.g., 18 Oct 2024)

Processes and Monitoring

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
View network connectionsnetstat -apShow all TCP/UDP connections, PID, and program name
Follow outputtail -f <file>Show last lines and monitor file in real-time
Stop commandCtrl + CQuit tail or stop any running foreground command
CPU infocat /proc/cpuinfoShows processor details
Memory infocat /proc/meminfoShows RAM usage and statistics

Networking

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
Network infoip addressShow network interfaces and IP addresses
Legacy commandifconfigDeprecated, may require installing net-tools package
Check host connectivityping <IP>Test network reachability to a host
Windows network infoipconfigShow IP configuration in a Windows host

Scripting

ConceptCommand / InfoKey Point
Bash script.shFile extension for Shell scripting
Python script.pyFile extension for Python scripting
Perl script.plFile extension for Perl scripting
Run script./script.shExecute if executable permission is set
Shebang line#!/bin/bashSpecifies the interpreter, required to run script directly