Command Line
How to Use watch to Repeat a Command and See Changes
Use the watch command to repeat a command every few seconds, highlight differences, handle quoting and pipes correctly, and exit on change or error.
6 min read
Tag
terminal
18 posts
Command Line
How to Use env and printenv to Inspect and Set Environment
Use env and printenv to list environment variables, run a command with a changed or empty environment, and tell shell variables from exported ones.
6 min read
Command Line
How to Use time to Measure a Command the Right Way
Use the time command to measure real, user and system time, the difference between the keyword and /usr/bin/time, memory with -v, and averaging runs.
6 min read
Python
How to Use the Python REPL and ipython for Terminal Work
Use the Python REPL and IPython for terminal work: history, tab completion, magics like %timeit, shell commands, editing and a useful startup file.
6 min read
Command Line
How to Use seq and shuf to Make Sequences and Shuffle Lines
Generate number sequences with seq and shuffle, sample or permute lines with shuf, including formatting, steps, random picks and reproducible output.
5 min read
APIs
How to Use gRPC From the Terminal With grpcurl the Safe Way
Use gRPC from the terminal with grpcurl: list services through reflection, describe methods, call with JSON, use TLS and metadata, and stay safe.
7 min read
APIs
How to Use WebSockets From the Terminal With websocat
Use WebSockets from the terminal with websocat: connect, send text, read a stream with jq, set headers, run a test server and keep connections alive.
7 min read
Command Line
How to Use timeout to Limit How Long a Command Runs
Use the timeout command to stop commands that hang: durations, signals, the kill-after grace period, exit status 124, and a pure Bash fallback for macOS.
5 min read
Tooling
How to Write READMEs and Docs for Command Line Tools
Write a README for a command line tool: install, a first command with real output, usage, exit codes and configuration, kept in sync with the help.
6 min read
Tooling
How to Use Terminal Recording for Docs With vhs or asciinema
Record terminal sessions for docs with asciinema and VHS: text recordings versus GIFs, scripted tapes, embedding, CI regeneration and keeping secrets out.
6 min read
Command Line
How to Use stat to Read File Metadata With Examples
Use the stat command to read file size, owner, mode, inode and timestamps, format output with -c, and compare GNU and BSD options in scripts.
6 min read
Tooling
How to Use Shell Completions for Tools You Install
Install shell completions for the tools you use: bash-completion, generated scripts for kubectl and gh, zsh fpath, fish and the startup cost.
6 min read