CLI Essentials Cheat Sheet: Bash, Git, Docker, kubectl, Vim, tmux

247 entries · 6 tools · static page, updated 2026-08-23

This page puts the six command-line tools most developers touch every day on one static page: the Bash shell and its readline keys, Git, Docker, kubectl, Vim and tmux. Every row is the same entry that appears on the individual reference page for that tool, so nothing here is a summary or an abridgement; it is the full table, concatenated, for people (and AI assistants) who want one fetch instead of six.

The tools are ordered roughly by how far down the stack they sit. Bash and Vim shortcuts are keystrokes that act immediately; Git, Docker and kubectl rows are commands you type and run; tmux mixes both, because its prefix key (Ctrl + b by default) turns ordinary letters into window and pane commands. If you only need one of these, the per-tool links in the table of contents go to the pages with category prose and source notes.

• Bash / Shell (52)
• Git (24)
• Docker (24)
• Kubernetes (kubectl) (17)
• Vim (57)
• tmux (73)

Bash / Shell — 52 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
ls -la	Detailed list	Show detailed file list including hidden files.
cd [path]	Change directory	Navigate to the specified directory.
pwd	Current path	Print current working directory.
mkdir -p [path]	Create directory	Create directories including parents.
cp -r [src] [dst]	Copy	Copy files or directories.
mv [src] [dst]	Move/Rename	Move or rename files.
rm -rf [path]	Force delete	Force delete files or directories.
find . -name [pattern]	Find files	Search for files by name pattern.
chmod +x [file]	Make executable	Add execute permission to a file.
chown [user]:[group] [file]	Change owner	Change file ownership.
cat [file]	Print file	Print file contents.
grep [pattern] [file]	Search text	Search for patterns in files.
head -n 20 [file]	First N lines	Show first 20 lines of a file.
tail -f [file]	Follow file	Follow the end of a file in real time.
wc -l [file]	Count lines	Count lines in a file.
sort [file]	Sort	Sort file contents.
sed 's/old/new/g' [file]	Find & replace	Find and replace text in files.
awk '{print $1}' [file]	Extract fields	Extract specific fields from files.
ps aux	List processes	Show all running processes.
top	System monitor	Show real-time system resource usage.
kill -9 [PID]	Force kill	Force kill a process.
df -h	Disk usage	Show disk usage in human-readable format.
du -sh [path]	Directory size	Show total directory size.
free -h	Memory usage	Show memory usage.
curl [URL]	HTTP request	Send an HTTP request to a URL.
ssh [user]@[host]	SSH connect	Connect to a remote server via SSH.
scp [file] [user]@[host]:[path]	Remote copy	Copy files remotely via SSH.
[cmd] | [cmd]	Pipe	Pass output of one command as input to another.
[cmd] > [file]	Redirect output	Save command output to file (overwrite).
[cmd] >> [file]	Append output	Append command output to file.
[cmd] 2>&1	Redirect stderr	Merge error output with standard output.
xargs	Pass arguments	Convert stdin to arguments for a command.
Ctrl + A	Start of Line	Moves the cursor to the beginning of the command line.
Ctrl + E	End of Line	Moves the cursor to the end of the line.
Ctrl + B	Back One Character	Same as Left arrow.
Ctrl + F	Forward One Character	Same as Right arrow.
Alt + B	Back One Word	Jumps the cursor back a word.
Alt + F	Forward One Word	Jumps the cursor forward a word.
Ctrl + W	Delete Word Before Cursor	Cuts the previous word into the kill ring.
Alt + D	Delete Word After Cursor	Cuts the next word.
Ctrl + U	Delete to Line Start	Cuts everything before the cursor — fastest way to scrap a mistyped command.
Ctrl + K	Delete to Line End	Cuts everything after the cursor.
Ctrl + Y	Yank (Paste)	Pastes the most recently cut text back.
Ctrl + T	Transpose Characters	Swaps the two characters around the cursor — fixes “sl” for “ls”.
Ctrl + L	Clear Screen	Clears the terminal, keeping the current line.
Ctrl + _	Undo	Undoes the last editing change (also Ctrl + X, Ctrl + U).
Ctrl + R	Reverse Search	Incremental search backward through history — keep pressing to go further back.
Ctrl + S	Forward Search	Searches forward (needs `stty -ixon` in many terminals).
Ctrl + P	Previous Command	Same as Up arrow.
Ctrl + N	Next Command	Same as Down arrow.
!!	Repeat Last Command	Classic use: `sudo !!` after a permissions error.
!$	Last Argument	Expands to the final argument of the previous command.

Git — 24 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
git init	Initialize repo	Initialize a new Git repository.
git clone [URL]	Clone repo	Clone a remote repository locally.
git status	Check status	Show the status of changed files.
git add .	Stage all	Stage all changed files.
git add [file]	Stage file	Stage a specific file.
git commit -m [msg]	Commit	Commit staged changes with a message.
git push	Push	Push local commits to the remote repo.
git pull	Pull	Fetch and merge remote changes.
git fetch	Fetch	Fetch remote changes without merging.
git branch	List branches	List local branches.
git branch [name]	Create branch	Create a new branch.
git checkout [branch]	Switch branch	Switch to another branch.
git checkout -b [name]	Create & switch	Create and switch to a new branch.
git merge [branch]	Merge	Merge another branch into current.
git branch -d [name]	Delete branch	Delete a local branch.
git rebase [branch]	Rebase	Rebase current branch onto another.
git log	Commit history	Show commit history.
git log --oneline	One-line log	Show commits in one-line format.
git diff	Show diff	Show unstaged changes.
git reset HEAD [file]	Unstage	Unstage a staged file.
git reset --hard HEAD~1	Undo last commit	Completely undo the last commit.
git stash	Stash changes	Temporarily save current changes.
git stash pop	Apply stash	Restore stashed changes.
git cherry-pick [hash]	Cherry-pick	Apply a specific commit to current branch.

Docker — 24 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
docker run [image]	Run container	Create and start a new container.
docker ps	List running	List currently running containers.
docker ps -a	List all	List all containers including stopped.
docker stop [ID]	Stop container	Stop a running container.
docker rm [ID]	Remove container	Remove a stopped container.
docker exec -it [ID] bash	Enter container	Open a bash shell inside a running container.
docker logs [ID]	View logs	View container logs.
docker restart [ID]	Restart	Restart a container.
docker images	List images	List locally stored images.
docker pull [image]	Pull image	Download an image from Docker Hub.
docker build -t [tag] .	Build image	Build an image from a Dockerfile.
docker rmi [image]	Remove image	Remove a local image.
docker push [image]	Push image	Push an image to a registry.
docker tag [src] [dst]	Tag image	Assign a new tag to an image.
docker compose up -d	Start services	Start all services in the background.
docker compose down	Stop services	Stop and remove all service containers.
docker compose logs -f	Follow logs	Follow service logs in real time.
docker compose ps	Service status	Check service status.
docker compose build	Build services	Build service images.
docker compose restart	Restart	Restart all services.
docker system prune	Cleanup	Remove unused containers, images, and networks.
docker volume ls	List volumes	List Docker volumes.
docker network ls	List networks	List Docker networks.
docker stats	Resource usage	Show real-time CPU and memory usage per container.

Kubernetes (kubectl) — 17 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
kubectl get pods	List pods	List pods in current namespace.
kubectl get svc	List services	List services.
kubectl get nodes	List nodes	List cluster nodes.
kubectl get all	All resources	List all resources.
kubectl describe pod [name]	Pod details	Show detailed pod information.
kubectl logs [pod]	View logs	View pod logs.
kubectl logs -f [pod]	Follow logs	Follow pod logs in real time.
kubectl apply -f [file]	Apply resource	Create/update resources from YAML.
kubectl delete pod [name]	Delete pod	Delete a pod.
kubectl scale deploy [name] --replicas=3	Scale	Change deployment replica count.
kubectl exec -it [pod] -- bash	Enter pod	Open bash shell inside a pod.
kubectl port-forward [pod] 8080:80	Port forward	Forward local port to pod port.
kubectl rollout restart deploy [name]	Rolling restart	Rolling restart a deployment.
kubectl config get-contexts	List contexts	Show available contexts.
kubectl config use-context [name]	Switch context	Switch to another cluster context.
kubectl get ns	List namespaces	List namespaces.
kubectl -n [NS] get pods	Specify namespace	Query resources in specific namespace.

Vim — 57 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
i	Insert Mode	Enter insert mode before cursor
a	Append Mode	Enter insert mode after cursor
I	Insert at Line Start	Insert at beginning of line
A	Append at Line End	Insert at end of line
o	Open Line Below	Open new line below and enter insert mode
O	Open Line Above	Open new line above and enter insert mode
Esc	Normal Mode	Return to normal mode
v	Visual Mode	Enter visual mode
V	Visual Line Mode	Enter visual line mode
Ctrl + v	Visual Block Mode	Enter visual block mode
h	Left	Move cursor left
j	Down	Move cursor down
k	Up	Move cursor up
l	Right	Move cursor right
w	Next Word	Jump to start of next word
b	Previous Word	Jump to start of previous word
e	End of Word	Jump to end of word
0	Line Start	Move to start of line
^	First Non-blank	Move to first non-blank character
$	Line End	Move to end of line
gg	File Start	Go to first line
G	File End	Go to last line
Ctrl + f	Page Down	Scroll page down
Ctrl + b	Page Up	Scroll page up
x	Delete Char	Delete character under cursor
dd	Delete Line	Delete current line
dw	Delete Word	Delete word
D	Delete to End	Delete from cursor to end of line
yy	Yank Line	Copy current line
yw	Yank Word	Copy word
p	Paste After	Paste after cursor
P	Paste Before	Paste before cursor
u	Undo	Undo last change
Ctrl + r	Redo	Redo change
r	Replace Char	Replace single character
R	Replace Mode	Enter replace mode
J	Join Lines	Join current line with next
/	Search Forward	Search forward
?	Search Backward	Search backward
n	Next Match	Go to next search match
N	Previous Match	Go to previous search match
*	Search Word	Search for word under cursor
#	Search Word Backward	Search word backward
:w	Save	Save file
:q	Quit	Quit Vim
:wq	Save & Quit	Save and quit
:q!	Force Quit	Quit without saving
:e filename	Edit File	Open file for editing
:sp	Split Horizontal	Split window horizontally
:vsp	Split Vertical	Split window vertically
.	Repeat	Repeat last command
~	Toggle Case	Toggle case of character
ci"	Change in Quotes	Change text inside quotes
di"	Delete in Quotes	Delete text inside quotes
qa	Record Macro	Record macro to register a
q	Stop Recording	Stop recording macro
@a	Run Macro	Execute macro from register a

tmux — 73 entries, full reference

Shortcut	Action	Notes
Ctrl + B, D	Detach client	Detach the current client, leaving the session running in the background.
Ctrl + B, $	Rename session	Rename the current session.
Ctrl + B, S	Choose session	Select a new session for the attached client interactively.
Ctrl + B, (	Previous session	Switch the attached client to the previous session.
Ctrl + B, )	Next session	Switch the attached client to the next session.
Ctrl + B, Shift + L	Last session	Switch the attached client back to the last session (uppercase L).
Ctrl + B, Shift + D	Choose client to detach	Choose a client to detach (uppercase D).
Ctrl + B, Ctrl + Z	Suspend client	Suspend the tmux client.
Ctrl + B, C	New window	Create a new window.
Ctrl + B, &	Kill window	Kill the current window.
Ctrl + B, ,	Rename window	Rename the current window.
Ctrl + B, N	Next window	Change to the next window.
Ctrl + B, P	Previous window	Change to the previous window.
Ctrl + B, L	Last window	Move to the previously selected window (lowercase l).
Ctrl + B, 0-9	Select window by number	Select windows 0 to 9 directly.
Ctrl + B, '	Select window by index	Prompt for a window index to select.
Ctrl + B, W	Choose window	Choose the current window interactively from a list.
Ctrl + B, .	Move window	Prompt for an index to move the current window to.
Ctrl + B, F	Find window	Prompt to search for text in open windows.
Ctrl + B, I	Window info	Display some information about the current window.
Ctrl + B, Alt + N	Next window with activity	Move to the next window with a bell or activity marker.
Ctrl + B, Alt + P	Previous window with activity	Move to the previous window with a bell or activity marker.
Ctrl + B, %	Split left and right	Split the current pane into two, left and right.
Ctrl + B, "	Split top and bottom	Split the current pane into two, top and bottom.
Ctrl + B, X	Kill pane	Kill the current pane.
Ctrl + B, O	Next pane	Select the next pane in the current window.
Ctrl + B, ;	Last pane	Move to the previously active pane.
Ctrl + B, ↑/↓/←/→	Select pane by direction	Change to the pane above, below, to the left, or to the right of the current pane.
Ctrl + B, Q	Show pane numbers	Briefly display pane indexes; press a number to jump to that pane.
Ctrl + B, Z	Zoom pane	Toggle zoom state of the current pane (fullscreen within the window).
Ctrl + B, {	Swap with previous pane	Swap the current pane with the previous pane.
Ctrl + B, }	Swap with next pane	Swap the current pane with the next pane.
Ctrl + B, Ctrl + O	Rotate panes forwards	Rotate the panes in the current window forwards.
Ctrl + B, Alt + O	Rotate panes backwards	Rotate the panes in the current window backwards.
Ctrl + B, !	Break pane to window	Break the current pane out of the window into its own window.
Ctrl + B, M	Mark pane	Mark the current pane, used as the default source for join and swap.
Ctrl + B, Shift + M	Clear marked pane	Clear the marked pane (uppercase M).
Ctrl + B, Space	Next layout	Arrange the current window in the next preset layout.
Ctrl + B, Alt + 1-7	Preset layouts	Arrange panes in one of the seven preset layouts: even-horizontal, even-vertical, main-horizontal, main-horizontal-mirrored, main-vertical, main-vertical-mirrored, or tiled.
Ctrl + B, Ctrl + ↑/↓/←/→	Resize pane by one cell	Resize the current pane in steps of one cell.
Ctrl + B, Alt + ↑/↓/←/→	Resize pane by five cells	Resize the current pane in steps of five cells.
Ctrl + B, [	Enter copy mode	Enter copy mode to copy text or view the scrollback history.
Ctrl + B, ]	Paste buffer	Paste the most recently copied buffer of text.
Ctrl + B, Page Up	Copy mode and scroll up	Enter copy mode and scroll one page up.
Ctrl + B, #	List paste buffers	List all paste buffers.
Ctrl + B, =	Choose buffer to paste	Choose which buffer to paste interactively from a list.
Ctrl + B, -	Delete buffer	Delete the most recently copied buffer of text.
Q	Exit copy mode	Cancel and leave copy mode.
Space	Begin selection	Start selecting text from the cursor position.
Enter	Copy selection and exit	Copy the current selection and exit copy mode.
V	Rectangle selection	Toggle rectangle (block) selection mode.
Shift + V	Select line	Select the current line (uppercase V).
/	Search forward	Search forward for the specified text.
?	Search backward	Search backwards for the specified text.
N	Repeat search	Repeat the last search in the same direction.
Shift + N	Repeat search reversed	Repeat the last search in the reverse direction (uppercase N).
G	Top of history	Scroll to the top of the history.
Shift + G	Bottom of history	Scroll to the bottom of the history (uppercase G).
Ctrl + U	Half page up	Scroll up by half a page.
Ctrl + D	Half page down	Scroll down by half a page.
Ctrl + B	Page up	Scroll up by one page.
Ctrl + F	Page down	Scroll down by one page.
0	Start of line	Move the cursor to the start of the line.
$	End of line	Move the cursor to the end of the line.
W	Next word	Move to the next word.
B	Previous word	Move to the start of the previous word.
%	Matching bracket	Move to the next matching bracket.
Ctrl + B, :	Command prompt	Enter the tmux command prompt to type commands directly.
Ctrl + B, ?	List key bindings	List all key bindings.
Ctrl + B, T	Show clock	Show the time in the current pane.
Ctrl + B, R	Redraw client	Force redraw of the attached client.
Ctrl + B, ~	Show messages	Show previous messages from tmux, if any.
Ctrl + B, Ctrl + B	Send prefix	Send the prefix key through to the application running in the pane.

Rows on this page are identical to the per-tool reference pages; the per-tool pages carry source links and category notes. Other bundles: AI Coding Tools · Cloud & DevOps · Design Tools · Office & Productivity · AI Prompt Commands · all bundles.