Terminal basics: getting around with cd and ls

The command line looks intimidating until you realize 90% of the work is three commands: see where you are, list what’s there, and change folders. Learn those and the rest of this series becomes easy. This is part one — the foundation WP-CLI and SSH build on.

pwd — where am I?

The terminal always has a “current folder”. pwd (print working directory) prints its full path so you know where you’re standing.

pwd
/home/youraccount/public

ls — what’s here?

ls lists the contents of a folder. Flags make it more useful: -l gives a detailed list, -a shows hidden files (the ones starting with a dot, like .htaccess).

ls          # simple list
ls -la      # detailed, including hidden files
ls wp-content/plugins   # list a specific folder

cd — change folder

cd (change directory) moves you between folders. A few shortcuts are worth gold: .. goes up one level, ~ takes you to your home folder, and cd with no argument does the same.

cd public/wp-content   # go into wp-content
cd ..                  # up one level
cd ~                   # home
cd /home/youraccount/public   # jump straight there by full path

A practical example

Say you’ve just SSH’d in and want to reach your WordPress install to run WP-CLI. Here’s how you find it:

pwd                     # where did I land?
ls                      # do I see a "public" folder?
cd public               # go into the web root
ls wp-config.php        # is it there? Then I'm in the right place.

If you see wp-config.php and wp-content, you’re in the root of your WordPress site — where every WP-CLI command should be run.

Three time-saving tips

• Tab completion: start typing a folder name and press Tab — the terminal fills in the rest.
• Up arrow: recalls your last command so you don’t retype it.
• clear: wipes the screen when it gets cluttered.

The full WP-CLI series

• Terminal basics: getting around with cd and ls
• SSH into your server and run search-replace
• Update plugins with WP-CLI
• Update your theme with WP-CLI
• The most important WP-CLI commands

Rather not do it yourself? At Kepler, WP-CLI and SSH access are part of Managed WordPress — we keep core, themes and plugins updated for you. And you can always SSH into your own cloud server and run the commands above whenever you like.