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Alkesh Baghel
Alkesh Baghel

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🐧 Linux Basics – Part 5: Viewing and Editing Files from the Terminal

#learning #website #beginners #linux

Hey there! 👋

Welcome back to our Linux series! So far, you’ve learned how to move around the filesystem, manage files and folders, and probably started feeling like a terminal pro. 🔥

Now it’s time to learn how to view and edit file content directly from the command line.

This is super handy when you’re working on servers, writing scripts, or just don’t want to open a full-blown text editor.

Let’s break it down with the most commonly used commands. 👇

👁️ View File Content – cat

The cat command is the quickest way to display the contents of a file.

Example: 

cat hello.txt
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It will print everything inside hello.txt right there in your terminal.

💡 Tip: Best for small files. It can get messy if the file is too long.

🧵 View One Page at a Time – less

For bigger files, use less. It lets you scroll and search too!

Example: 

less bigfile.txt
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Use the arrow keys to scroll, q to quit.

🧠 Fun fact: You can search inside less by typing /word and hitting Enter.

🔍 See the Beginning – head

Want to quickly peek at the first few lines?

Example: 

head hello.txt
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By default, it shows the first 10 lines. Want more?

head -n 20 hello.txt
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🔚 See the End – tail

As the name suggests, tail shows the end of a file.

Example: 

tail hello.txt
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Also shows 10 lines by default. Want to see the last 5?

tail -n 5 hello.txt
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Bonus: You can even watch a file in real time (great for logs):

tail -f server.log
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✍️ Editing Files – nano (Beginner-Friendly Editor)

Ready to make some changes? nano is a simple text editor that works right in the terminal.

Example: 

nano notes.txt
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You’ll be taken into an interactive editor. Use arrow keys to move around, make your edits, and when you’re done:

  • Press Ctrl + O to save
  • Press Enter to confirm filename
  • Press Ctrl + X to exit

🧠 Compared to Windows: Think of it like a very minimal Notepad, but in the terminal.

🧪** Mini Challenge**

Try this mini project to get hands-on:

  1. Create a file named quote.txt.
  2. Add your favorite quote using nano.
  3. View it using cat.
  4. Check the first line using head -n 1.
  5. Check the last line using tail -n 1.

Commands:

touch quote.txt
nano quote.txt
cat quote.txt
head -n 1 quote.txt
tail -n 1 quote.txt
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Easy and useful!

🧭 Quick Reference

Task Command
View full file cat filename
View paged content less filename
View top lines head filename
View bottom lines tail filename
Watch file in real-time tail -f filename
Edit a file nano filename

🔚 Wrapping Up

And that’s a wrap for Part 5! 🥳

Being able to quickly view and edit files from the terminal is a superpower, especially when working on remote systems or debugging scripts.

Next up in Part 6, we’ll dive into file permissions—what drwxr-xr-x means, how to use chmod, chown, and how to control who can do what with your files.

Stay curious, keep experimenting, and feel free to drop questions if anything feels confusing. You're doing great! 💪

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