Frequently asked questions for Linux file systems

How to compare two directories and find the differences

Learn how to compare two directories and see their differences or what files they are having in common.

How to display directory contents sorted by modification time

Learn how to sort the output of the ls command to list a directory contents by its modification time.

How to find symbolic links that point to a directory

Learn how to use the find command to discover symbolic links that refer to a directory.

How to find the biggest directories on disk

Find the biggest directories and files on disk by using the du command.

How to find when the last modification happened in a directory

Learn how to find the last modification time of a file or subdirectory in a specified directory on Linux.

How to find writable files

Learn how to the use the find command to find any files that are writable.

How to monitor disk activity (I/O) on Linux

Learn how to monitor a Linux system and focus on disk activity with tools like iotop, sar, vmstat, or iostat.

How to securely delete a file and its contents

Need to delete the contents of a sensitive file? Instead of just deleting it with rm, look at this option first.

How to see files great than a specific size

Learn how to see files smaller or bigger than a specific defined size on Linux, using the du command.

How to see hidden files

Learn how to see any hidden files on the command line or in the terminal using the ls command.

How to see inode usage

Learn how to see inode usage on a Linux file system or mount point.

How to see the creation date of a file

Learn how to use the stat command to find the initial creation time of a file, also known as its birth time.

How to see the file type on Linux

Learn how to see the file type of normal and special files on a Linux system by using the file command.

How to see the size of a directory

Learn how to see the size of a directory or folder on Linux systems using the du command.

How to see the size of a file

Learn how to see the size of a file on Linux systems using the ls or stat command.

How to see used and free disk space

Learn how to see used and disk space of file systems or mount point on Linux systems.