Lesson 2.2: Basic Commands

Duration: 45 minutes

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

• Navigate the file system using cd and pwd
• List directory contents with ls and its useful options
• Create directories with mkdir
• Understand absolute vs relative paths in the terminal

Introduction

Now that you understand why the terminal is powerful, let's learn the commands that will become second nature to you. In this lesson, we focus on navigation and creating directories — the foundation of everything you'll do in the terminal.

Think of these commands as learning to walk before you run. Once you master cd, ls, pwd, and mkdir, everything else becomes easier.

Main Content

The pwd Command: Where Am I?

pwd stands for Print Working Directory. It shows your current location in the file system.

$ pwd
/Users/alice/Documents

This tells you exactly where you are. The path shows each folder from the root (/) to your current location.

Why it matters: Before doing anything, it's good practice to check where you are. Many mistakes happen because you're in the wrong directory.

The ls Command: What's Here?

ls lists the contents of a directory.

$ ls
Desktop    Documents  Downloads  Music  Pictures  Videos

Useful ls Options

Combine options:

$ ls -la
total 48
drwxr-xr-x  12 alice  staff   384 Jan  8 10:30 .
drwxr-xr-x   5 alice  staff   160 Jan  8 09:15 ..
-rw-r--r--   1 alice  staff  1024 Jan  8 10:30 .hidden-file
drwxr-xr-x   3 alice  staff    96 Jan  8 10:00 Documents
-rw-r--r--   1 alice  staff  2048 Jan  8 09:45 notes.txt

Reading the long format:

Listing a Specific Directory

You can list contents of any directory without going there:

$ ls Documents
projects  notes.txt  resume.pdf

$ ls /Users/alice/Downloads
file1.zip  image.png  setup.exe

The cd Command: Let's Go Somewhere

cd stands for Change Directory. This is how you navigate.

$ pwd
/Users/alice

$ cd Documents

$ pwd
/Users/alice/Documents

Special Directory Symbols

Examples:

# Go to home directory
$ cd ~

# Go up one level
$ cd ..

# Go up two levels
$ cd ../..

# Go to root
$ cd /

# Go back to where you just were
$ cd -

Navigating with Paths

Absolute paths start from the root (/):

$ cd /Users/alice/Documents/projects

Relative paths start from your current location:

$ pwd
/Users/alice

$ cd Documents/projects    # Relative to current location

Visual representation:

If you're at /Users/alice:

• Absolute path: /Users/alice/Documents/projects
• Relative path: Documents/projects

If you're at /Users/alice/Downloads:

• Absolute path: /Users/alice/Documents/projects
• Relative path: ../Documents/projects

Tab Completion (Your Best Friend)

Instead of typing full names, press Tab to autocomplete:

$ cd Doc[Tab]
$ cd Documents/    # Autocompleted!

$ cd Documents/pro[Tab]
$ cd Documents/projects/    # Autocompleted!

If there are multiple matches, press Tab twice to see options:

$ cd D[Tab][Tab]
Desktop/    Documents/    Downloads/

This saves time and prevents typos.

The mkdir Command: Creating Directories

mkdir makes a new directory.

$ mkdir projects

$ ls
Documents  Downloads  projects  # New folder created!

Creating Multiple Directories

$ mkdir folder1 folder2 folder3

$ ls
folder1  folder2  folder3

Creating Nested Directories

By default, mkdir can't create parent directories that don't exist:

$ mkdir projects/web/frontend
mkdir: projects/web: No such file or directory    # Error!

Use the -p flag to create parent directories automatically:

$ mkdir -p projects/web/frontend

$ ls projects
web

$ ls projects/web
frontend

The -p flag is safe — it won't error if directories already exist.

Naming Conventions

If you must use spaces, escape them or use quotes:

$ mkdir "my project"      # Quotes
$ mkdir my\ project       # Escape with backslash

Putting It All Together

Let's practice a common workflow:

# 1. Check where you are
$ pwd
/Users/alice

# 2. Go to Documents
$ cd Documents

# 3. See what's there
$ ls
notes.txt  resume.pdf

# 4. Create a new project folder structure
$ mkdir -p coding/typescript-course/exercises

# 5. Navigate into it
$ cd coding/typescript-course/exercises

# 6. Verify your location
$ pwd
/Users/alice/Documents/coding/typescript-course/exercises

# 7. Go back home
$ cd ~

# 8. Return to where you were
$ cd -
/Users/alice/Documents/coding/typescript-course/exercises

Practice Exercise

Task

Complete these navigation challenges in your terminal:

Challenge 1: Navigation

1. Open your terminal
2. Check your current directory with pwd
3. Navigate to your home directory with cd ~
4. List all contents including hidden files with ls -la
5. Count how many hidden files/folders you see (items starting with .)

Challenge 2: Creating Structure

1. Navigate to your Documents folder
2. Create this structure using a single command:

   Documents/
   └── terminal-practice/
       ├── lesson-1/
       ├── lesson-2/
       └── lesson-3/
   

3. Navigate into lesson-2 using a relative path
4. Verify your location with pwd
5. Go back to Documents using ..

Challenge 3: Speed Run

1. Starting from anywhere, get to your home directory
2. Create a folder called test-navigation
3. Go into it
4. Go back out
5. Create another folder called test-navigation-2
6. Using one command, navigate to test-navigation from test-navigation-2

Expected Commands

pwd
cd ~
ls -la
# Count items starting with . (hidden files)

cd ~/Documents
mkdir -p terminal-practice/lesson-1 terminal-practice/lesson-2 terminal-practice/lesson-3
# OR
mkdir -p terminal-practice/{lesson-1,lesson-2,lesson-3}
cd terminal-practice/lesson-2
pwd
cd ../..

cd ~
mkdir test-navigation
cd test-navigation
cd ..
mkdir test-navigation-2
cd test-navigation-2
cd ../test-navigation

Key Takeaways

• pwd shows your current location — use it often
• ls shows directory contents; add -la for full details including hidden files
• cd moves you around; remember ~ (home), .. (up), - (previous)
• mkdir creates directories; use -p for nested structures
• Tab completion saves time and prevents typos — use it constantly
• Prefer relative paths for nearby locations, absolute paths for precision
• Avoid spaces in folder names; use hyphens or underscores instead

Resources