Linux Basic Commands: rm | 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.

6. rm

rm stands for remove.
It is used to delete files and directories in Linux.

⚠️ Be careful: Once deleted with rm, files cannot be recovered easily.

🔹 Basic Syntax:

rm [options] [file_or_directory]

🔹 Examples:

✅ 1. Remove a single file

rm file.txt

👉 Deletes file.txt from the current directory.

✅ 2. Remove multiple files

rm file1.txt file2.txt

👉 Deletes both files at once.

✅ 3. Remove an empty directory (use `-d`)

rm -d empty_folder

👉 Deletes an empty folder.

✅ 4. Remove a non-empty directory (use `-r` or `-rf`)

rm -r myfolder

👉 Recursively deletes the folder and everything inside it.

Use -f to force delete (no confirmation):

rm -rf myfolder

⚠️ Dangerous! This will delete everything inside without asking.

🔹 Practice Example:

mkdir testfolder
touch testfolder/file1.txt
rm -r testfolder

👉 This creates a folder, adds a file, and then deletes the whole folder.

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