Disk storage is an integral component of the Linux operating system. Knowing the status of your Linux disk space is essential for monitoring its performance, analyzing disk usage management, and ensuring productivity.
In this article, we'll explore some commands that are used to check available disk space on Linux. These commands provide a range of options, also known as flags to enhance the operation of the command. We'll cover three commonly used commands: df, du, and ls.
2. The df Command
The df command, also known as disk free, provides a comprehensive outline of disk space information on the Linux system.
$ df
Filesystem 1k-blocks used available use% Mounted on
udev 3865423 0 3562764 0% /dev
tmpfs 758372 2054 798435 1% /run
/dev/sda2/ 276387653 43499328 165690087 23% /
tmpfs 3954382 57353 3728663 2% /dev/shm
This is a detailed overview of the disk space usage information showing the filesystem, available space in kilobytes, disk usage, available free space, usage in percentage, and mount point path. The command is mainly used to track the storage space in the system.
2.1. df -h
The -h flag, when used with the df command basically displays the information in human-readable format, presenting sizes in megabytes and gigabytes which is easier to read. Compared to the df command as a stand-alone, the information is displayed in kilobytes, which is a bit difficult to understand.
$ df -h
filesystem size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
udev 3.8G 0 3.8G 0% /dev
tmpfs 774M 2.1M 772M 1% /run
/dev/sda2 219G 47G 162G 23% /
tmpfs 3.8G 55M 3.8G 2% /dev/shm
Here, the data are now displayed in megabytes and gigabytes, hence making it easier for users to comprehend.
2.2. df -t
The -t flag displays the disk space information for all mounted filesystems when used with the df command. It also introduces a new column that showcases the filesystem types and their disk usage.
$ df -t
Filesystem Type 1k-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
udev devtmpfs 3986539 0 34552676 0% /dev
tmpfs tmpfs 806773 3588 677442662 1% /run
/dev/sda2 ext4 248756852 55226653 66354422 26% /
tmpfs tmpfs 40943674 4 273732441 14% /dev/shm
The datasets above are a representation of filesystem information. A new column is integrated into the data that lists all the file types for the filesystem.
3. The du Command
The du command also referred to as disk usage displays the amount of disk space used by a specific directory and its subdirectories. These sizes are displayed in blocks(bytes), which is not user-friendly.
$ du
7 ./.config/gtk-3.0
24 ./.config/xfce4/desktop
8 ./.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-7
9 ./.config/xfce4/panel/launcher-6
73 ./.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml
The dataset is an overview of the disk space consumption of files and directories.
3.1. du -sh
The du -sh command provides the total disk usage size for a specified directory. The -s flag will display the data in a block-size format, while the inclusion of the -h flag converts the data into a human-readable format.
$ du -sh /home
37612M home
37612M total
From the output above, the total disk usage of the home directory is 37612MB.
3.2. du -a
The du -a command is used to print the disk usage for files including the directories and sub-directories. It allows us to check for the most sizeable files within a designated path and also remove unused files to free up significant space on the server.
$ du -a
2 ./abc1
4 ./.config/gtk-3.0
4 ./.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen0-813x823.rc
4 ./.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen0-1904x910.rc
4 ./.config/xfce4/desktop/icons.screen0-1904x1033.rc
This output lists the disk usage for all files including the directories.
4. The ls Command
The ls command simply lists all the files of a working directory. it's also a practical way to determine the terminal's current directory.
$ ls
camera pc downloads git insta
picture desktop workspace g0l.13.3.linux-amd64.gz local
vs-code dev emacs.d index.php .m2
Bash-history documents en-GB info-page-conte host
Here, the datasets show the files in the current working directory.
4.1. ls -a
The -a flag when used with the ls command displays a comprehensive list of both hidden files and directories within the current directory. This flag is mostly used with the ls command when trying to access files that are hidden from view.
$ ls -a
. .brave downloads gol.13.3.linux-amd64.gz music
.. .bse .eclipse .gphoto .mysql_comp
camera .bsedata .eclipse .gradle .node-gyp
picture .bundle workspace index.php .npm
vs.code .cache emacs.d info-page-content .nvm
The output shows all hidden files and directories within the directory. The hidden files are those files that begin with the dot “.” format.
4.2. ls -lh
Using the -lh flag with the ls command accurately displays the entire information about the file or directory name in human-readable format.
$ ls -lh
drwxrwxr-x 4 ubuntu ubuntu 4.0k sep 6 12:17 phone_images
drwxrwxr-x 2 ubuntu ubuntu 16k jan 9 10:22 assessment
drwxrwxr-x 1 ubuntu ubuntu 3.0k jan 2 02:55 bin
drwxrwxr-x 6 ubuntu ubuntu 4.3k may 7 08:32 bse
As you can see from the output, it shows the entire information of directory names. Additionally, the sizes of files are displayed in kilobytes hence, making it easier for users to read.
5. Summary
In this article, we looked at several commands that give insights into effective disk space management. The df, du, and ls commands are the most commonly used within the Linux environment to analyze disk storage information such as checking for available disk space and monitoring the disk usage of a directory. With these commands, users can easily examine their system disk usage and optimize storage efficiency.
However, it's important to monitor disk space usage often. Doing so prevents common performance issues, enhances smooth operation, and efficient storage management.
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