Cheat sheets for the shell
Interactive Cheat Sheet
© Lead Image © Stanislav Volchenkov, 123RF
When the history function fails and the manpage is too long, navi comes to the rescue with an interactive cheat sheet for the shell.
What exactly was that parameter for creating an archive with tar? Command-line aficionados know that if nothing shows up with the Bash history command, your only option is to look at the manpage. While manpages are generally useful, some are so extensive that the time spent searching for information is disproportionate to the task at hand. An alternative to this problem is an interactive cheat sheet.
While there are plenty of cheat sheet tools on GitHub, the relatively young navi [1] offers both good functionality and an eye-pleasing design. Navi helps users browse built-in (DIY or downloaded) cheat sheets to display options and arguments for commands or directly execute the commands. Navi (as well as similar tools) lets you interactively learn about newly discovered commands and explore all their possibilities.
Installation
You can quickly install navi from the website (Listing 1). In addition, you can optionally install navi in an arbitrary directory (line 6) instead of in your path.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.