Creating, Listing and Deleting Files

In the previous lecture, we learned how to navigate the Linux filesystem and create basic files and directories.

Now let's go a step further. We'll learn how to inspect files in more detail and safely remove files and directories.

The ls command is especially useful here because its options allow us to view the same directory in different ways.

Listing Files with ls

The ls command displays the contents of a directory.

ls

Example:

config.yml  notes.txt  projects  script.sh

By itself, ls gives you a simple list. By adding options (flags), you can get more useful information.

Common ls Options

ls -l - Long Format

ls -l

Example:

-rw-r--r-- 1 ubuntu ubuntu  124 Sep 27 18:10 notes.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 ubuntu ubuntu 4096 Sep 27 18:05 projects

The long format provides information such as:

• File type and permissions
• Number of links
• Owner
• Group
• Size
• Last modification time
• File or directory name

We'll explore permissions and ownership in detail in a later lecture.

ls -lh - Human-Readable Sizes

ls -lh

The h option makes file sizes easier to read.

Instead of seeing raw byte counts, you may see values such as:

4.0K
2.1M
1.5G

This is particularly useful when working with large files.

ls -lt - Sort by Modification Time

ls -lt

This displays the newest modified items first.

This can be useful when you're trying to identify recently changed files, such as application logs or configuration files.

ls -ltr - Oldest First

ls -ltr

This reverses the time-based listing, so older files appear first and newer files appear toward the bottom.

Combining Options

Linux command options can often be combined.

ls -ltr

Here:

• l → Long format
• t → Sort by modification time
• r → Reverse the order

You can also write the same combination as:

ls -l -t -r

Both forms are commonly used.

Deleting Files

Once you understand how to inspect the filesystem, you also need to know how to remove things you no longer need.

rm - Remove a File

The rm command removes files.

rm notes.txt

After running the command, the file is removed from the directory.

Important: Linux does not normally move files deleted with rm to a recycle bin. Make sure you are deleting the correct file before running the command.

Removing Multiple Files

You can specify multiple files:

rm file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

All three files will be removed.

Deleting Directories

Linux provides different commands depending on whether a directory is empty or contains files.

rmdir - Remove an Empty Directory

The rmdir command removes a directory only when it is empty.

rmdir linux

If the directory contains files or subdirectories, the command will fail rather than deleting its contents.

This makes rmdir useful when you specifically want to remove an empty directory.

rm -r - Remove a Directory Recursively

To remove a directory along with its contents, use the recursive option:

rm -r telusko

The -r option means recursive. Linux will remove the directory and the files and subdirectories inside it.

rm -rf - Force Recursive Removal

You may also encounter:

rm -rf telusko

Here:

• r → Recursively remove contents.
• f → Force removal without prompting for confirmation in situations where rm would otherwise prompt.

Be extremely careful with rm -rf. It can remove a large amount of data very quickly, and there is normally no recycle bin to recover it from.

Always check your current directory with pwd and verify the target with ls before running destructive commands.

Using Wildcards

Wildcards allow a command to match multiple filenames based on a pattern.

The * wildcard means zero or more characters.

For example:

rm *.txt

This matches files ending in .txt in the current directory.

Suppose the directory contains:

notes.txt
commands.txt
config.yml
main.tf

Running:

rm *.txt

will remove:

notes.txt
commands.txt

but leave:

config.yml
main.tf

Matching a Specific Filename Pattern

You can combine characters with *.

rm m*.tf

This matches .tf files whose names begin with m.

For example:

main.tf
module.tf
variables.tf

The command matches:

main.tf
module.tf

but not:

variables.tf

Tip: Before using a wildcard with rm, first run the same pattern with ls.

For example:

ls *.txt

If the results are exactly what you intend to delete, then run:

rm *.txt

This simple habit can prevent accidental deletion.

Quick Reference

Written By: Muskan Garg