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Linux Flags Explained: A Simple Guide for New Users
Simple Guide to Linux Flags for Beginners: Learn and Understand.
The Flags are not commands and tools in Linux. Rather, they play a crucial role in the Linux command-line interface by allowing users to modify the behaviour of commands and enabling additional functionalities.
Sometimes, flags are called options. Flags usually start with a dash (-
) and are case-sensitive.
Flags are help to extend functionality to the command and and provided by the command itself.
Most commonly, flags are of two types
- Short Flags
- Long Flags
Short Flags
Most flags start with a single hyphen (-
) followed by a single letter, like -l
for the ls command (lists files and directories).
These are often short, easy-to-remember abbreviations. For instance, -l
usually stands for “long listing,” providing more details like file permissions, ownership, and size.
Long Flags
Long flags start with a double hyphen (--
) followed by a full word, like --human-readable
for the du command (which shows disk usage).