# The Ten Best Articles in 2019 on Linux Commands
Using Linux *well* means understanding what commands are available, and what they're capable of doing for you.
We have covered a lot of them here on opensource.com during 2019.
Here are 10 of the best articles about Linux commands.
# 10. Understanding the Force
The Force has a light side and a dark side.
Properly understanding it is crucial to true mastery.
In his article, [Using the force at the Linux command line](
https://opensource.com/article/19/5/may-the-force-linux), correspondent Alan Formy-Duval explains the ``-f`` (also known as ``--force`` with many commands) option for several popular, and sometimes dangerous, commands.
# 9 Adding users with the useradd command
Sharing accounts is a bad idea.
Give separate accounts to different people, and even different roles, with the quintessential ``useradd`` command.
In a veritable series on basic Linux administration, Alan Formy-Duval provides an [intro to the Linux useradd command][useradd](
https://opensource.com/article/19/10/linux-useradd-command), and as usual he explains it in *plain English* so that experienced admins and new admins alike can understand.
# 8 Hardware introspection
What's *inside* the box?
Sometimes, being able to inspect your hardware without using a screwdriver is useful.
In the article [Linux commands to display your hardware information](
https://opensource.com/article/19/9/linux-commands-hardware-information), Howard Fosdick provides both popular and obscure commands to help you dig deep into the computer you're using, or the computer you're testing out at the store ready before making a purchase, or the computer you're trying to repair.
# 7 Encrypt files with gocryptfs
Our files hold our private data, from social security numbers to personal letters to our loved ones.
In Brian "Bex" Exelbierd's article, [How to encrypt files with gocryptfs on Linux](
https://opensource.com/article/19/8/how-encrypt-files-gocryptfs), he teaches you how to keep what's meant to be private *private*.
As a bonus, he demonstrates file encryption in such a way that it has little to no impact to your existing workflow.
This isn't a complex PGP-style puzzle of key management and background key agents, this is quick, seamless, and secure file encryption.
# 6 Rsync for backups
In the New Year, many of us will resolve to be more diligent about our backups.
Alan Formy-Duval must have made that same resolution years ago, because in his article [How to use advanced rsync for large Linux backups](
https://opensource.com/article/19/5/advanced-rsync), he displays remarkable familiarity with the venerable file synchronization command.
You might not remember all the syntax right away, but the idea is to read and process the options, construct your backup command, and then automate it.
That's the smart way to use ``rsync``, and it's the *only* way to backup reliably!
# 5 The more command
In Scott Nesbitt's article [Using more to view text files at the Linux command line](
https://opensource.com/article/19/1/more-text-files-linux), the good old default pager, ``more`` finally gets the spotlight.
Many people install and use ``less``, because it's admittedly more flexible than ``more``.
However, with more and more systems being implemented in the sparsest of containers, the luxury of fancy new tools like ``less`` or ``most`` sometimes just doesn't exist.
Knowing and using ``more`` is simple, it's a common default, and the production systems' debugging tool of last resort!
# 4 What you probably didn’t know about sudo
The ``sudo`` command is famous to a fault.
People know the ``sudo`` term, and most of us believe we know what it does.
And we're a little bit correct, but as Peter Czanik reveals in his article [What you probably didn’t know about sudo](
https://opensource.com/article/19/10/know-about-sudo), there's a lot more to the command than just "Simon Says".
Like that classic childhood game, the ``sudo`` command is powerful, and also prone to silly mistakes, only with a greater potential for horrible consequences.
This is one game you do not want to lose!
# 3 How to program with Bash: Syntax and tools
If you're a Linux or BSD or Mac (and lately, Windows) user, you may have used
the Bash shell interactively.
It's a great shell for quick, one-off commands, which is why so many Linux users love to use it as their primary user interface.
However, Bash is much more than just a command prompt.
It's also a programming language, and if you're already using Bash commands then the path to automation has never been more straightforward.
Learn all about it in David Both's excellent [How to program with Bash: Syntax and tools](
https://opensource.com/article/19/10/programming-bash-syntax-tools).
# 2 Master the Linux ls command
The ``ls`` command is one of those commands that merited a two letter name.
This was an optimization for slow terminals, where each letter was causing a significant delay, but it's also a nice bonus for lazy typists.
Seth Kenlon explains how you can [Master the Linux ls command](
https://opensource.com/article/19/7/master-ls-command) in his article, and as usual he does so with clarity and pragmatism.
Most significantly, In a system where "everything is a file", being able to list the files is crucial.
# 1 Getting started with the Linux cat command
The ``cat`` command (short for con*cat*enate) is deceptively simple.
Whether you use it to quickly see the contents of a file, or to pipe the contents to another command, you may not be using ``cat`` to its full potential.
Read the elucidating [Getting started with the Linux cat command](
https://opensource.com/article/19/2/getting-started-cat-command) by Alan Formy-Duval to get new ideas on how you can take advantage of a command that lets you open a file without feeling like you've opened it.
As a bonus, learn all about ``zcat`` so you can decompress files without all the trouble of decompression!
It's a small and simple thing, but *this* is what makes Linux great.
Those were 10 of the best articles about Linux commands we had to offer in 2019, but don't let this list be the end of your journey.
There's much more to discover about Linux and its versatile prompt, so when you've finished with these articles, keep clicking through to more articles and see where you end up.
