200+ Kali Linux Commands – Updated Cheatsheet

Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution designed for penetration testing and security auditing. It comes with a wide range of tools and utilities that can be used to assess the security of computer systems and networks.

One of the most important aspects of using Kali Linux is being able to use the command line. The command line is a powerful tool that can be used to perform a wide range of tasks, such as installing and configuring software, managing files and directories, and troubleshooting problems.

There are many different Kali Linux commands that can be used, but some of the most common ones include:

S.No.	Linux Command	Functions
1	apropos	Search Help manual pages (man -k)
2	apt-get	Search for and install software packages (Debian)
3	aptitude	Search for and install software packages (Debian)
4	aspell	Spell Checker
5	awk	Find and Replace text, database sort/validate/index
6	basename	Strip directory and suffix from filenames
7	bash	GNU Bourne-Again Shell
8	bc	Arbitrary precision calculator language
9	bg	Send to background
10	break	Exit from a loop
11	builtin	Run a shell builtin
12	bzip2	Compress or decompress named files
13	cal	Display a calendar
14	case	Conditionally perform a command
15	cat	Concatenate and print (display) the content of files
16	cd	Change Directory
17	cfdisk	Partition table manipulator for Linux
18	chgrp	Change group ownership
19	chkconfig	System services (runlevel)
20	chmod	Change access permissions
21	chown	Change file owner and group
22	chroot	Run a command with a different root directory
23	cksum	Print CRC checksum and byte counts
24	clear	Clear terminal screen
25	cmp	Compare two files
26	comm	Compare two sorted files line by line
27	command	Run a command – ignoring shell functions
28	continue	Resume the next iteration of a loop
29	cp	Copy one or more files to another location
30	cron	Daemon to execute scheduled commands
31	crontab	Schedule a command to run at a later time
32	csplit	Split a file into context-determined pieces
33	cut	Divide a file into several parts
34	date	Display or change the date and time
35	dc	Desk Calculator
36	dd	Convert and copy a file, write disk headers, boot records
37	ddrescue	Data recovery tool
38	declare	Declare variables and give them attributes
39	df	Display free disk space
40	diff	Display the differences between two files
41	diff3	Show differences among three files
42	dig	DNS lookup
43	dir	Briefly list directory contents
44	dircolors	Colour setup for `ls’
45	dirname	Convert a full pathname to just a path
46	dirs	Display list of remembered directories
47	dmesg	Print kernel & driver messages
48	du	Estimate file space usage
49	echo	Display message on screen
50	egrep	Search files for lines that match an extended expression
51	eject	Eject removable media
52	enable	Enable and disable builtin shell commands
53	env	Environment variables
54	ethtool	Ethernet card settings
55	eval	Evaluate several commands/arguments
56	exec	Execute a command
57	exit	Exit the shell
58	expand	Convert tabs to spaces
59	expect	Automate arbitrary applications accessed over a terminal
60	export	Set an environment variable
61	expr	Evaluate expressions
62	fdformat	Low-level format a floppy disk
63	fdisk	Partition table manipulator for Linux
64	fg	Send job to foreground
65	fgrep	Search files for lines that match a fixed string
66	file	Determine file type
67	find	Search for files that meet a desired criteria
68	fmt	Reformat paragraph text
69	fold	Wrap text to fit a specified width
70	for	Expand words, and execute commands
71	format	Format disks or tapes
72	free	Display memory usage
73	fsck	File system consistency check and repair
74	ftp	File Transfer Protocol
75	function	Define Function Macros
76	fuser	Identify/kill the process that is accessing a file
77	gawk	Find and Replace text within files
78	getopts	Parse positional parameters
79	grep	Search files for lines that match a given pattern
80	groupadd	Add a user security group
81	groupdel	Delete a group
82	groupmod	Modify a group
83	groups	Print group names a user is in
84	gzip	Compress or decompress named files
85	hash	Remember the full pathname of a name argument
86	head	Output the first part of files
87	help	Display help for a built-in command
88	history	Command History
89	hostname	Print or set system name
90	iconv	Convert the character set of a file
91	id	Print user and group id’s
92	if	Conditionally perform a command
93	ifconfig	Configure a network interface
94	ifdown	Stop a network interface
95	ifup	Start a network interface up
96	import	Capture an X server screen and save the image to file
97	install	Copy files and set attributes
98	jobs	List active jobs
99	join	Join lines on a common field
100	kill	Stop a process from running
101	killall	Kill processes by name
102	less	Display output one screen at a time
103	let	Perform arithmetic on shell variables
104	ln	Create a symbolic link to a file
105	local	Create variables
106	locate	Find files
107	logname	Print current login name
108	logout	Exit a login shell
109	look	Display lines beginning with a given string
110	lpc	Line printer control program
111	lpr	Off line print
112	lprint	Print a file
113	lprintd	Abort a print job
114	lprintq	List the print queue
115	lprm	Remove jobs from the print queue
116	ls	List information about files
117	lsof	List open files
118	make	Recompile a group of programs
119	man	Help manual
120	mkdir	Create new folders
121	mkfifo	Make FIFOs (named pipes)
122	mkisofs	Create an hybrid ISO9660/JOLIET/HFS filesystem
123	mknod	Make block or character special files
124	mmv	Mass Move and rename files
125	more	Display output one screen at a time
126	mount	Mount a file system
127	mtools	Manipulate MS-DOS files
128	mtr	Network diagnostics (traceroute/ping)
129	mv	Move or rename files or directories
130	netstat	Networking information
131	nice	Set the priority of a command or job
132	nl	Number lines and write files
133	nohup	Run a command immune to hangups
134	notify-send	Send desktop notifications
135	nslookup	Query Internet name servers interactively
136	op	Operator access
137	open	Open a file in its default application
138	passwd	Modify a user password
139	paste	Merge lines of files
140	pathchk	Check file name portability
141	ping	Test a network connection
142	pkill	Stop processes from running
143	popd	Restore the previous value of the current directory
144	pr	Prepare files for printing
145	printcap	Printer capability database
146	printenv	Print environment variables
147	printf	Format and print data
148	ps	Process status
149	pushd	Save and then change the current directory
150	pwd	Print Working Directory
151	quota	Display disk usage and limits
152	quotacheck	Scan a file system for disk usage
153	quotactl	Set disk quotas
154	ram	ram disk device
155	rcp	Copy files between two machines
156	read	Read a line from standard input
157	readarray	Read from stdin into an array variable
158	readonly	Mark variables/functions as readonly
159	reboot	Reboot the system
160	remsync	Synchronize remote files via email
161	rename	Rename files
162	renice	Alter priority of running processes
163	return	Exit a shell function
164	rev	Reverse lines of a file
165	rm	Remove files
166	rmdir	Remove folders
167	rsync	Remote file copy (Synchronize file trees)
168	scp	Secure copy (remote file copy)
169	screen	Multiplex terminal, run remote shells via ssh
170	sdiff	Merge two files interactively
171	sed	Stream Editor
172	select	Accept keyboard input
173	seq	Print numeric sequences
174	set	Manipulate shell variables and functions
175	sftp	Secure File Transfer Program
176	shift	Shift positional parameters
177	shopt	Shell Options
178	shutdown	Shutdown or restart linux
179	sleep	Delay for a specified time
180	slocate	Find files
181	sort	Sort text files
182	source	Run commands from a file
183	split	Split a file into fixed-size pieces
184	ssh	Secure Shell client (remote login program)
185	strace	Trace system calls and signals
186	su	Substitute user identity
187	sudo	Execute a command as another user
188	sum	Print a checksum for a file
189	suspend	Suspend execution of this shell
190	symlink	Make a new name for a file
191	sync	Synchronize data on disk with memory
192	tail	Output the last part of file
193	tar	Tape Archiver
194	tee	Redirect output to multiple files
195	test	Evaluate a conditional expression
196	time	Measure Program running time
197	times	User and system times
198	top	List processes running on the system
199	touch	Change file timestamps
200	tr	Translate, squeeze, and/or delete characters
201	traceroute	Trace Route to Host
202	trap	Run a command when a signal is set(bourne)
203	true	Do nothing, successfully
204	tsort	Topological sort
205	tty	Print filename of terminal on stdin
206	type	Describe a command
207	ulimit	Limit user resources
208	umask	Users file creation mask
209	umount	Unmount a device
210	unalias	Remove an alias
211	uname	Print system information
212	unexpand	Convert spaces to tabs
213	uniq	Uniquify files
214	units	Convert units from one scale to another
215	unset	Remove variable or function names
216	unshar	Unpack shell archive scripts
217	until	Execute commands (until error)
218	uptime	Show uptime
219	useradd	Create new user account
220	usermod	Modify user account
221	users	List users currently logged in
222	uudecode	Decode a file created by uuencode
223	uuencode	Encode a binary file
224	v	Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b’)
225	vdir	Verbosely list directory contents (`ls -l -b’)
226	vi	Text Editor
227	vmstat	Report virtual memory statistics
228	wait	Wait for a process to complete
229	watch	Execute/display a program periodically
230	wc	Print byte, word, and line counts
231	wget	Retrieve web pages or files via HTTP, HTTPS or FTP
232	whereis	Search the user’s $path, man pages and source files for a program
233	which	Search the user’s $path for a program file
234	while	Execute commands
235	who	Print all usernames currently logged in
236	whoami	Print the current user id and name (`id -un’)
237	write	Send a message to another user
238	xargs	Execute utility, passing constructed argument lists
239	xdg-open	Open a file or URL in the user’s preferred application
240	yes	Print a string until interrupted

These are just a few of the many Kali Linux commands that are available. For more information, please refer to the Kali Linux documentation.

Here are some additional tips for using the command line in Kali Linux:

Use the Tab key to auto-complete command names and filenames.
Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through your command history.
Use the ? character to get help for a particular command.
Use the ! character to recall and execute a previous command.
Use the ; character to execute two or more commands on the same line.
Use the & character to execute a command in the background.
Use the | character to pipe the output of one command to the input of another command.

With a little practice, you will be able to use the command line in Kali Linux to perform a wide range of tasks.

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