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

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

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

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

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

head -n 20 hello.txt

🔚 See the End – tail

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

Example:

tail hello.txt

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

tail -n 5 hello.txt

Bonus: You can even watch a file in real time (great for logs):

tail -f server.log

✍️ 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

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

Easy and useful!

🧭 Quick Reference

🔚 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! 💪