Linux Basic Commands: history | OpenPath Education

Linux provides a set of powerful and commonly used commands to interact with the system efficiently. The `cd` command is used to change directories, while `ls` lists the contents of a directory. To clear the terminal screen, the `clear` command is used. The `mkdir` command helps create new folders, and `pwd` shows the current working directory. The `rm` command is used to remove files or directories, and `touch` is used to create empty files. To edit or view text files directly in the terminal, `vi` is a powerful editor. The `/` symbol represents the root directory, which is the top level of the Linux filesystem. To manage users, `adduser` is used to create a new user, and `userdel` is used to delete an existing one. The `history` command displays a list of previously executed commands, allowing users to track or reuse them easily. These commands form the foundation for working effectively in a Linux environment.

12. history

`history` Command in Linux

The history command shows a list of all previously run commands in the terminal.
It’s very useful to recall or repeat past commands.

🔹 Syntax:

history

🔹 Example:

history

👉 Output:

  1  ls
  2  pwd
  3  cd /home/ashwin
  4  mkdir test
  5  history

This shows:

Line numbers for each command
The exact command you typed earlier

🔹 Useful Options & Examples:

✅ 1. Run a previous command by number

!3

👉 Runs the 3rd command from the history (in this case: cd /home/ashwin)

✅ 2. Search your command history

history | grep mkdir

👉 Finds all mkdir commands you've used before.

✅ 3. Repeat the last command

!!

👉 Runs the most recent command again.

✅ 4. Clear your command history

history -c

👉 Clears all saved history for the current session.

✅ 5. Save history to a file

history > my_history.txt

👉 Saves your full command history into my_history.txt.

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