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Cover image for Hidden Linux Gems: 15 Lesser-Known Commands That Deserve More Attention
Asep Sayyad
Asep Sayyad

Posted on • Originally published at Medium

Hidden Linux Gems: 15 Lesser-Known Commands That Deserve More Attention

#linux #devops #terminal #ubuntu

There are no "secret" Linux commands hidden from experienced users.
However, there are many excellent commands that are surprisingly
underused. These can make you more productive and deepen your
understanding of Linux.

1. tldr --- Simpler Than man 

tldr tar
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Most people know man, but tldr provides practical examples instead
of long documentation.

Install:

sudo apt install tldr
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2. ss --- Better Than netstat 

ss -tulnp
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Shows: - Listening ports - Process IDs - Active TCP/UDP sockets

Why use it?

ss is faster and is the modern replacement for netstat.

3. Find the Largest Files 

du -ah / | sort -rh | head -20
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Explanation:

  • du -ah → Calculate file sizes
  • sort -rh → Sort by largest first
  • head -20 → Show only the top 20

Useful when a server suddenly runs out of disk space.

4. Watch a Command Continuously 

watch -n 2 free -h
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Runs free -h every 2 seconds.

Great for monitoring: - Memory - Disk usage - Processes

5. Discover Binary Dependencies 

ldd /bin/ls
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Shows which shared libraries a program depends on.

Very useful when debugging missing library errors.

6. Trace What a Program Is Doing 

strace ls
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You'll see every system call the program makes.

This is one of the best debugging tools available.

7. See Open Files 

lsof -i :80
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Find which process is using port 80.

Another example:

lsof /var/log/syslog
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Shows which process currently has the file open.

8. Inspect Binary Strings 

strings binary_file
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Extracts readable text from compiled binaries.

Useful for: - Reverse engineering - Malware analysis - Debugging

9. Hex Dump Any File 

xxd file.txt
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Displays hexadecimal representation.

Restore:

xxd -r dump.hex restored.bin
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10. View ELF Information 

readelf -h /bin/bash
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Shows:

  • Architecture
  • Entry point
  • ELF headers

Very useful for Linux internals.

11. Find Slow DNS Lookups 

dig openai.com
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Instead of relying on ping, use dig to troubleshoot DNS.

12. Show Process Tree 

pstree -p
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Displays parent and child processes in a tree.

Much easier than reading ps.

13. Follow Multiple Logs 

multitail /var/log/syslog /var/log/auth.log
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Unlike tail -f, this lets you watch several log files simultaneously.

14. Recover Deleted Terminal Output

Accidentally cleared your terminal?

Instead of reopening it:

reset
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or

clear
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reset completely reinitializes the terminal if it becomes corrupted.

15. Explore Without Installing Anything 

python3 -m http.server 8000
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Instantly creates a web server in the current directory.

Perfect for: - Sharing files - Testing websites - Development

Bonus Commands Worth Learning 

timeout 5 ping google.com
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Automatically stops a command after 5 seconds.

yes "Hello"
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Outputs text continuously until stopped.

Useful for testing scripts.

column -t file.txt
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Formats messy text into neat columns.

script session.log
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Records your entire terminal session.

history | grep docker
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Search your shell history instantly.

Final Thoughts

None of these commands are "secret." They are simply underused. Learning
them won't replace Linux fundamentals, but they'll make you a more
capable troubleshooter and system administrator.

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