Linux + Slurm Flags Reference Sheet

Common Linux Commands Flags

Command	Flag(s)	Example	Explanation
ls	-a	ls -a	Show all files, including hidden ones (those starting with a .).
	-l	ls -l	Use the long listing format — shows file sizes, permissions, owners, and dates.
	-h	ls -lh	Makes file sizes human-readable (e.g., 2K, 1.3M instead of raw bytes).
	-t	ls -lt	Sorts files by modification time, newest first.
cp	-r	cp -r folder1/ folder2/	Recursively copy a folder and its contents.
	-v	cp -v file1 file2	“Verbose” mode — prints what’s being copied.
mv	-v	mv -v oldname newname	Verbose output, showing each move or rename.
rm	-r	rm -r folder/	Removes folders recursively (everything inside).
	-f	rm -rf folder/	“Force” deletion — skips confirmation prompts. ⚠️ Use with caution.
	-v	rm -v file.txt	Verbose — lists each file as it’s deleted.
mkdir	-p	mkdir -p /path/to/new/folder	Creates all necessary parent directories in the path.
cat	-n	cat -n file.txt	Adds line numbers to the file output.
head	-n	head -n 10 file.txt	Shows the first n lines (default is 10).
tail	-n	tail -n 20 file.txt	Shows the last n lines (default is 10).
	-f	tail -f logfile.txt	Continuously displays new lines as they’re added — useful for watching logs.
grep	-i	grep -i "snow" data.txt	Case-insensitive search for a word or phrase.
	-r	grep -r "error" ./logs/	Search recursively through all files in a directory.
	-n	grep -n "word" file.txt	Show line numbers for each match.
tar	-xvzf	tar -xvzf archive.tar.gz	Extract a compressed .tar.gz file (x=extract, v=verbose, z=gzip, f=file).
	-cvzf	tar -cvzf backup.tar.gz folder/	Create a compressed archive.
chmod	-R	chmod -R 755 myfolder/	Apply permissions recursively to all files in a directory.

Common Slurm Command Flags

Command	Flag(s)	Example	Explanation
ls	-a	ls -a	Show all files, including hidden ones (those starting with a .).
	-l	ls -l	Use the long listing format — shows file sizes, permissions, owners, and dates.
	-h	ls -lh	Makes file sizes human-readable (e.g., 2K, 1.3M instead of raw bytes).
	-t	ls -lt	Sorts files by modification time, newest first.
cp	-r	cp -r folder1/ folder2/	Recursively copy a folder and its contents.
	-v	cp -v file1 file2	“Verbose” mode — prints what’s being copied.
mv	-v	mv -v oldname newname	Verbose output, showing each move or rename.
rm	-r	rm -r folder/	Removes folders recursively (everything inside).
	-f	rm -rf folder/	“Force” deletion — skips confirmation prompts. ⚠️ Use with caution.
	-v	rm -v file.txt	Verbose — lists each file as it’s deleted.
mkdir	-p	mkdir -p /path/to/new/folder	Creates all necessary parent directories in the path.
cat	-n	cat -n file.txt	Adds line numbers to the file output.
head	-n	head -n 10 file.txt	Shows the first n lines (default is 10).
tail	-n	tail -n 20 file.txt	Shows the last n lines (default is 10).
	-f	tail -f logfile.txt	Continuously displays new lines as they’re added — useful for watching logs.
grep	-i	grep -i "snow" data.txt	Case-insensitive search for a word or phrase.
	-r	grep -r "error" ./logs/	Search recursively through all files in a directory.
	-n	grep -n "word" file.txt	Show line numbers for each match.
tar	-xvzf	tar -xvzf archive.tar.gz	Extract a compressed .tar.gz file (x=extract, v=verbose, z=gzip, f=file).
	-cvzf	tar -cvzf backup.tar.gz folder/	Create a compressed archive.
chmod	-R	chmod -R 755 myfolder/	Apply permissions recursively to all files in a directory.